https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljLxe7DOoOs&ab_channel=660NEWS
Kevin J. Johnston sentenced to jail time, fined $20k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeOKH6kuG-g&ab_channel=CJDC-TVNews
Confrontation Over Not Wearing A Mask in a Dawson Creek Store Ends In An Arrest For Kevin J Johnston
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1OZj4k4UXs&ab_channel=CanadianRightsReviews
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/kevin-j-johnston-sentence-contempt-alberta-ahs-1.6168121
Calgary mayoral candidate Kevin J. Johnston to serve 40 days on weekends for 'out of control' behaviour
Johnston must also pay $20,000 in Alberta Health Services' legal costs
Calgary mayoral candidate Kevin J. Johnston has been sentenced to 40 days in jail to be served on weekends for what the judge has previously described as "out of control" behaviour.
For months, Johnston has incited followers to defy public health measures in place to control the spread of COVID-19.
Court of Queen's Bench Justice Adam Germain accepted the joint sentence recommendation, which includes paying Alberta Health Services' legal fees of $20,000 and obeying public health orders going forward.
"If Mr. Johnston had used his considerable powers of persuasion to get people to wear masks, socially distance, take vaccines, Alberta would not now be in its fourth crisis wave of this pandemic," said Germain.
"People in Alberta are dying, some are dying alone, some are dying gasping for breath, some are dying crying for opportunities lost and loved ones missed."
AHS in 'death struggle'
Johnston was sentenced for breaching three judges' orders aimed at controlling the behaviours of pandemic-denying, anti-mask leaders in Alberta.
Not only did Johnston defy the public health orders, he took to various social media channels to post angry, hateful videos encouraging others to do the same.
Johnston was sentenced Wednesday, one day after Alberta announced nearly 5,000 new cases of COVID-19 over the long weekend with more than 600 people in hospital.
"AHS is frankly in a death struggle trying to keep people alive," said the judge.
Johnston's weekend sentence means he will show up at jail on Friday and be released Monday morning. That means come municipal election day, Johnston will not be behind bars.
In Calgary, few rules bar someone from running for mayor. Mayoral candidates cannot owe the city money and cannot have violated election laws. Criminal convictions and pending charges do not preclude a candidate from entering the race.
More court troubles for Johnston
This is the latest in Johnston's months-long court dealings in three provinces.
In May and June, Johnston spent the equivalent of seven weeks in jail for harassing and threatening an AHS inspector as well as causing a disturbance at a downtown Calgary shopping mall when he berated shop staff who demanded he wear a mask.
Last week, Johnston pleaded guilty to a hate crime in Ontario for numerous anti-Muslim online posts in 2017.
After Johnston targeted a Muslim restaurant owner in 2019, a judge ruled in favour of the Toronto businessman, awarding him $2.5 million in the defamation lawsuit for Johnston's "loathsome example of hate speech at its worst."
Johnston was found in contempt in Ontario for continuing to post hateful, harassing comments online and has not yet been sentenced for that crime.
He also has yet to be sentenced for the hate crime conviction.
Johnston also faces a charge of assault in B.C. and has yet to go to trial.
https://globalnews.ca/news/8021474/kevin-j-johnston-parole-harassment-disturbance-charges/
Kevin J. Johnston gets probation after pleading guilty to harassment, disturbance charges in Calgary
Kevin Johnston attending a rally outside GraceLife Church in Parkland County, near Edmonton, on April 11, 2021. Global News
Editor’s note: The headline has been corrected to show that Johnston will serve probation. We regret that error.
Controversial mayoral candidate and far-right social media personality Kevin J. Johnston pleaded guilty to a pair of recent criminal charges in a Calgary court Monday morning.
Johnston faced charges of harassing an Alberta Health Services employee and causing a disturbance at a downtown Calgary shopping centre.
“We were able to resolve them in a way that was fair,” Balfour Der, Johnston’s lawyer, told Global News.
“My client admits these offences were committed. In terms of that, he was probably over-enthusiastic in the message he was trying to send.'
On Monday, the court heard an impact statement from the AHS employee saying she was afraid for her and her children’s safety and didn’t feel safe leaving her home.
A joint submission from the Crown and defence agreed to have Johnston serve two concurrent nine-month probation periods — one in relation to the harassment charge and one for the disturbance charge.
Johnston is not to enter the CORE Shopping Centre as part of his probation terms. He’s also not allowed to be within 200 metres of the AHS employee or her family. Johnston was ordered not to post pictures or videos of her or any AHS employee.
He is also not to leave the province during his probation but was given an exemption to return to visit his family in Ontario for three weeks starting July 16.
Read more: Alberta Health Services sues Calgary mayoral candidate for $1.3M over threats to health-care workers
On June 30, Calgary police said the harassment incident took place between April 24 and May 22 and included “threatening conduct directed at the victim in person, on social media and online.”
He was originally arrested on May 26 on a Criminal Code warrant for causing a disturbance and being part of an illegal gathering on May 22 at the CORE Shopping Centre.
At the time, police said Johnston entered stores without wearing a face mask — then a requirement under provincial and municipal mandates — and allegedly verbally abused employees who requested he don a mask. Johnston left the stores only to return with others joining in on the verbal harassment, police said.
Read more: COVID-19: Police arrest Calgary mayoral candidate Kevin J. Johnston 2nd time for AHS injunction
Johnston has been in police custody since the May arrest, amounting to 48 days in custody.
“The amount of time that he was in custody — 48 days — is a long period of time, especially for these types of offences,” Der said. “Nevertheless, he was detained by two different judges.”
Johnston is due to be released from police custody later on Monday.
Der said Johnston faces one more set of criminal charges stemming from the Drumheller area, a matter that has been adjourned until September. Der said he hopes those are resolved in a similar matter.
AHS has filed a defamation lawsuit against Johnston, seeking $1.3 million in damages for allegations that have yet to be proven in court.
In May 2019, Johnston was ordered by an Ontario judge to pay the owner of a prominent Middle Eastern restaurant chain $2.5 million after publicly accusing him of funding terrorism.
Alberta’s Local Authorities Election Act does not preclude anyone with a criminal record from running for municipal office. Convictions under election acts from the past decade or owing the city money would disqualify an individual from running.
– With files from Jessie Weisner, Global News and The Canadian Press