CALGARY -- Premier Jason Kenney says he is glad to see action has been taken against Kevin J. Johnston, a man running for the mayor's chair in the city of Calgary.
Johnston was arrested by Calgary police on Saturday after officials say he was in violation of a court injunction issued by Alberta Health Services.
The order forbade him from attending any public gathering not complying with the province's public health guidelines with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A few hours after Johnston's arrest, Kenney wrote on Twitter that he was happy to see steps had been taken against the controversial candidate, who he referred to as a "nutbar."
"(Johnston) has been making threats of violence, targeting AHS staff for doing their job," he continued.
The premier also referred recent allegations of violence against RCMP officers connected to similar protests held in Alberta.
He did not, however, make any reference to Johnston's arrest following the gathering on Calgary's 17th Avenue Saturday morning.
'INAPPROPRIATE LANGUAGE'
While some Albertans agreed with Kenney's condemnation of Johnston's actions, others were critical of his delayed response and initiative with the COVID-19 pandemic in general:
However, others took offence to the language used by the provincial leader.
On Friday, AHS was granted a request for a restraining order against Johnston, barring him from "obstructing or interfering with AHS and its officers and employees, including public health officers, in their enforcement efforts of the Public Health Act, including the Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) Orders."
The order does not prevent him from seeking necessary medical care.
The order came after he directed threats towards AHS employees in a recent podcast.
