A Calgary man known for his protests against drag events will return to court in the new year to face allegations he violated the terms of his court-ordered sentence. Derek Reimer is scheduled for a hearing on January 5, 2026, where a judge will decide if he breached his conditional sentence order, which included a period of house arrest.
Legal Wrangling Over Hearing Date
The January date was set on Monday, December 15, 2025, after Reimer's lawyer, Andrew MacKenzie, argued unsuccessfully for the matter to be heard before the end of this week. Justice Sandra Mah declined MacKenzie's application to order Crown prosecutor Matt Dalidowicz to proceed sooner. She advised the lawyer to take his request to the associate chief justice instead.
MacKenzie stated that given time constraints, pursuing that route would be impractical. As a result, his client's breach hearing will occur outside the standard 30-day period following an arrest. Reimer was taken into custody on December 3.
Prosecution Seeks Original Sentencing Judge
Crown prosecutor Matt Dalidowicz requested the adjournment to a date when Justice Karen Molle is available. Molle was the judge who originally sentenced Reimer to a one-year conditional sentence on December 23 of the previous year.
"The Crown's position is the matter should be adjourned to a date when Justice Molle can hear the CSO breach hearing," Dalidowicz told the court. He cited judicial economy, noting that while the Criminal Code allows other judges to hear such applications, the preference is for the original justice to preside due to their familiarity with the case.
Details of the Alleged Breaches
Reimer is accused of committing five breaches of his conditional sentence order. One of the central allegations involves him stopping outside the Calgary Courts Centre to give a media interview after a court appearance, which allegedly violated his house arrest provision.
One of the exceptions to his house arrest was for court appearances and travel to and from proceedings. Reimer was previously found in breach for preaching on the courthouse steps after an appearance.
He also faces an accusation of indirectly communicating with a library manager he was convicted of harassing. The allegation states he commented about her on an internet post related to an upcoming "Reading with Royalty" drag event.
Reimer was released last week on conditions that include refraining from making any social media comments pending a retrial on charges connected to a separate "Reading with Royalty" event.
The outcome of the January 5 hearing will determine the next steps in this closely watched Calgary legal case.
