Witness Testimony

Shea Ritchie testified that her Winnipeg restaurant was operating successfully prior to COVID-19 restrictions. Following the introduction of Manitoba public health mandates, she described constantly changing and contradictory enforcement by health inspectors, liquor inspectors, and police. She received approximately 10 fines totaling nearly $60,000, including a conviction for patrons sitting within 60 centimetres of one another despite no explicit group-size restriction in the health order. She testified that inspectors admitted they did not verify whether individuals were from the same household and that judicial interpretation dismissed ambiguity in the wording of the order.
Ritchie further testified about a separate “dancing” violation issued by a liquor inspector who initially cited non-existent rules and later amended the ticket after Manitoba Health confirmed the cited website guidance was not official policy. In court, one judge found her not guilty after enforcement authorities altered their legal basis multiple times. She described enforcement inconsistencies, lack of rule clarity, and documented admissions by officials that some rules were misunderstood or improperly applied.
She testified that following media coverage portraying her business as reckless, public backlash intensified and boycotts followed. In 2022, the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority applied to revoke her liquor licence, citing her as a repeat offender despite ongoing legal disputes and dropped tickets. Her licence was revoked, making continued operation financially unviable, and the location ultimately closed. Ritchie stated she had publicly questioned lockdown logic and advocated for focused protection, and she believes regulatory retaliation contributed to the loss of her livelihood.