Kevin J. Johnston sentenced in Delburne, Alta., COVID protest
Former Calgary mayoral candidate Kevin J. Johnston was back in Alberta Court of Justice in Drumheller on Friday, May 26 to answer to charges stemming from a protest in Delburne in April 2021.
Johnston faced criminal charges, including forcible entry, causing a disturbance, and mischief stemming from the protest, as well as three counts under the Petty Trespassing Act and a single count violation of the Alberta Public Health Act as the protest went against COVID-19 protocols.
The court heard how Johnston participated in an anti-mask protest outside a grocery store in Delburne on April 7, 2021.
During the protest, the owners of the grocery store locked the entry door in order to prevent protesters from entering the store. Video evidence showed two protesters, one of whom was identified as Johnston, use the exit door in order to gain entry to the store.
Johnston and the other protester were asked to leave the premises, but did not leave immediately; the owner of the grocery store then physically pushed them out through the door.
It was jointly recommended by both Crown and defense to issue an 18-month suspended sentence with a number of conditions, including a no contact order with the owners of the grocery store and a no go order preventing Johnston from attending the store.
Justice Mah also requested that Johnston write a letter of apology to the owners of the grocery store, and to be delivered at the discretion of a probation officer.
Remaining charges were withdrawn.
Delburne is located approximately 47 kilometres east of Red Deer.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.