Former Calgary mayoral candidate arrested at U.S. border after skipping Canadian jail appearance

After failing to show up for the final weekend of an intermittent jail sentence, former Calgary mayoral candidate Kevin J. Johnston was arrested Tuesday morning by US Border Patrol agents while attempting to cross from Saskatchewan to Montana on foot.

Johnston is being held in the town on Plentywood, Mon. as officials work to return him to Canada.

Calgary Police Service officials confirmed earlier in the day that warrants had been issued for Johnston for being unlawfully at large after he failed to appear at the Calgary Remand Centre for the final weekend of his sentence.

Johnston, who was unsuccessful in his attempt to become Calgary's mayor in 2021, received an intermittent 40-day sentence in September 2021 after being convicted of breaching court orders related to non-compliance with Alberta's public health measures. He was also ordered to pay Alberta Health Services $20,000.

The following month, he received a separate 18-month jail sentence in Ontario after being found guilty of six counts of contempt of court over defamatory comments regarding the CEO of Paramount Fine Foods. Johnston had referred to Mohamad Fakih as both a "terrorist" and a "baby killer."

The Ontario sentence was to begin Tuesday following the completion of his time served on weekends in Alberta that began in September 2021 and was to end Jan. 2.

Johnston is also scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 19 in Dawson Creek, B.C. on an assault charge in connection with his actions at a local grocery store. Johnston was charged after he attempted to make a purchase without a face covering and then allegedly confronted the store's manager in the parking lot, which was captured on video.