No trial: Peace bond will limit activity of man suspected of terrorist planning

WINNIPEG -- A man suspected of planning terrorist activities has had many of his strict bail conditions lifted and will not be going to trial.

Aaron Driver is not facing criminal charges, but his lawyer and the Crown agreed to a peace bond to limit his activities.

The bond acknowledges there are grounds to fear that Driver may help a terrorist group.

It does not require him to wear a GPS monitoring bracelet, which he had while on bail, or undergo religious counselling. He is prohibited from using a computer or cellphone until the end of August.

Driver has also agreed not to associate with any terrorist organization, including the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or possess anything bearing the name.

Driver will be free once the bulk of his peace bond conditions expire, Crown attorney Ian Mahon said Tuesday. Driver won't be required to come back to court unless his conditions are breached.

"It's done," Mahon said. "It's resolved.

Driver has been on bail under strict conditions since last June. He now lives in Ontario.

Published reports have said he posted messages on social media that praised terrorist activities, including the attack in October 2014 on Parliament Hill by Michael Zehaf-Bibeau.

Driver has been banned from using a computer since last June. The condition will expire before September to allow him to move on to either school or a job, Mahon said.

"A lot of things begin in August and September of 2016," he said. "In this day and age, computers are a necessary tool."

Driver's lawyer, Leonard Tailleur, had fought the conditions of the peace bond. He argued the restrictions violated his client's charter rights.

Tailleur has always said his client is not a threat to the public and has simply "used his voice to state things that maybe we don't like."

In court Tuesday, the lawyer referred to a psychological assessment which deemed Driver was a "low risk."

He has no criminal record.

"This has been a long process," Tailleur told the judge.

"Aaron ... with several compromises is prepared to accept the peace bond."

Driver is required to carry a copy of the peace bond at all times and is banned from possessing any weapon.

He can't apply for a passport from Canada or any other country.

He is also banned from using social media.