adam skelly

Adamson BBQ owner Adam Skelly is now allowed back on social media again

After being banned from social media for two months, Adamson BBQ founder Adam Skelly has now been given the green light to use apps like Instagram and Facebook again "for ordinary purposes," the Ontario courts have decided.

Skelly made headlines back in November for flouting provincial lockdown orders to open up the Etobicoke location of his southern barbecue restaurant for indoor and outdoor maskless dining for not just one, but three days in a row.

As part of his bail conditions, the 33-year-old was instructed to stay off of all social media platforms, which he had used to let followers know that he was going to be opening his doors in direct contravention of the grey-level lockdown at the time — and to encourage them to come by.

But, his legal representation argued that the terms regarding his use of online platforms were "unnecessary" and an infringement of his civil liberties.

"There's no danger in Mr. Skelly liking a photo of a relative after they have a baby and writing 'congratulations on your little one,'" they told the courts last week.

Superior Court Justice Robert Goldstein has now agreed, stating on Friday per the Star that the prohibition was "incompatible with perfectly legitimate forms of expression on social media," which can in his eyes include anything from interacting with friends and family to "expressing a political view about the lockdown measures."

He is now allowed back on the web for these purposes, but is barred from using it to organize or publicize any type of defiance of lockdown restrictions.

He may also soon be permitted back on the premises of his restaurants — which have been allowed to operate for takeout and delivery since mid-December — with the justice accepting a request to amend the boundary conditions that were also a part of his bail conditions.

Lead photo by

Hector Vasquez


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