Michèle Lavoie acted as a liaison between the two men who climbed the bridge and the police.
One of the three people arrested earlier this week, when a protest held by environmental activists closed the Jacques Cartier Bridge for hours, was granted a conditional release on Friday.
Michèle Lavoie, 39, of Montreal, was granted the release after making a brief appearance before Quebec Court Judge Betty Laurent at the Montral courthouse.
On Wednesday, a different judge agreed with a request from the Crown that Lavoie and two men who climbed the bridge — Olivier Huard, 47, and Jacob Pirro, 24, both of Montreal — be detained for a bail hearing that is still scheduled to be held on Oct. 31. All three of the accused are charged with one count of mischief by preventing people from using the bridge. A conviction under the mischief charge comes with a maximum 10-year sentence.
The two men are also charged with resisting arrest.
On Tuesday, the protest began after 5 a.m. as two people scaled the bridge. The Sûreté du Québec closed the span in both directions for hours, which caused traffic chaos, especially on the South Shore.
Defence lawyer Barbara Bedont expressed disbelief on Wednesday when she learned the trio would be detained for more than a week to wait for their bail hearing. She noted in most cases involving civil disobedience the person accused is most often granted a conditional release following their arrest. On Wednesday, Bedont said Lavoie’s role in the protest was to act as a liaison (between police and the climbers) “to assure public safety and she was arrested, anyway.”
On Friday, Bedont asked that Lavoie’s handcuffs be removed for the hearing, but the request was refused. She also asked that Lavoie be released immediately inside the third-floor courtroom and again was rejected. Laurent informed Bedont the protocols involving detainees at the courthouse are set by provincial guards and matters like handcuffs and where a person should be released were out of her hands.
Lavoie agreed to have a family member deposit $500 for her release. She also agreed to not be on the bridge unless she is in a vehicle crossing it. She is also not allowed to participate in protests while her case is pending and she cannot communicate with Huard and Pirro unless it is for a meeting with their lawyer.
Lavoie does not have a criminal record, while Huard and Pirro are scheduled to have a trial in November on charges related to a similar environmental protest. Huard has also been convicted in the past for his role in a protest held in the Lac-St-Jean region.