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Calgary mayoral candidate Kevin J. Johnston denied bail again<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/a><\/a> Mon., June 14, 2021, 1:52 p.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Calgary mayoral candidate and anti-masker Kevin J. Johnston has been denied bail a second time and will stay behind bars until his trial on July 12.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Johnston is in custody in connection with charges of causing a disturbance and breaching a court order after he showed up at the Core Mall in downtown Calgary on May 22 and tried to enter stores without a mask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When asked to put one on, he became verbally abusive to employees, police said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Days after his arrest, a provincial court judge denied bail to Johnston, finding he was too high a risk to reoffend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On Monday, Johnston’s lawyer asked Court of Queen’s Bench Justice David Gates to release his client, but the judge denied the application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Defence lawyer Ian McCuaig argued that by the time his client’s trial begins, Johnston would arguably have served more than a fit sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But Gates disagreed, suggesting the “very unique circumstances” of the alleged crimes taking place during a pandemic, at a time when Calgary was seeing some of the highest infection rates in the world, was an aggravating factor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The judge also pointed out that Johnston and three others, who are his roommates, according to McCuaig, were filming their interactions with store employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “This was not an innocent shopping trip with his four roommates,” said Gates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n AHS suing Johnston<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Johnston is also facing an assault charge in B.C. and a hate crime charge in Ontario.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In December, Johnston moved from Ontario to Alberta and began a campaign of denying there was an ongoing pandemic and railing against public health restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aside from his criminal charges, Johnston is also facing a civil contempt charge for promoting large gatherings against Alberta Health Services (AHS) orders, which require physical distancing, masking and limits on gatherings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Johnston’s contempt hearing is set to take place Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He has also been served a $1.3-million lawsuit for more than a dozen videos posted threatening AHS employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last week, AHS served Johnston with the defamation lawsuit following months of threats against its employees on various web broadcasts and online video streams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The statement of claim notes 15 times Johnston posted hateful commentary about two health inspectors in particular, including “suggesting the plaintiffs would likely be ‘stabbed’ or put in a ‘wheelchair’ and would deserve it.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Political Prisoner Kevin J. Johnston Denied Bail Again: How A Repressive System Keeps Non-Violent Dissidents in Jail by Denying Bail Calgary mayoral candidate Kevin J. Johnston denied bail again Mon., June 14, 2021, 1:52 p.m. Calgary mayoral candidate and anti-masker … Continue reading