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Alberta

Calgary pizza shop owner files lawsuit over illegal forced closure for serving the unvaccinated

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4 minute read

Jesse Johnson, owner of Without Papers Pizza

From LifeSiteNews

By Clare Marie Merkowsky

Without Papers Pizza owner is suing the City of Calgary, the province of Alberta and former Chief Medical Officer Deena Hinshaw for shutting down his business in 2021.

A Canadian pizza shop filed a $3.6 million lawsuit against Alberta and the City of Calgary over illegal COVID closures.

Jesse Johnson, owner of Without Papers Pizza, announced that he is seeking restitution for closing his restaurants that served unvaccinated Canadians.

“We are suing the City of Calgary, the Province of Alberta, and former (Alberta chief medical officer) Deena Hinshaw, and we are going to win. It is our hope that our case will set (a) precedent and that Albertans are never medically segregated again,” Without Papers Pizza’s website says.

In October 2021, Without Papers Pizza was permanently shut down for refusing to enforce the vaccine passport and serving unvaccinated Canadians. In addition to having the business closed, Johnson faced massive fines for opposing the vaccine passport mandate.

However, in July 2023, the Alberta Court of Kings Bench ruled that all mandates issued by Hinshaw were illegal.

This included the restriction exemptions program used to justify closing the pizza restaurant. Shortly after, in November 2023, all charged against Johnson were dropped.

Now, Johnson is seeking compensation for his losses in addition to justice for Canadians who were blocked from restaurants due to their vaccination status.

“It cost me everything. I lost my restaurant, my other two restaurants in Calgary, my marriage, my family, my houses, my wealth, and a good portion of my sanity,” he told independent journalist Mocha Bezirgan.

“I hope that my lawsuit will set a precedent and that Albertans are never medically segregated again,” Johnson continued.

Thanks to the new Alberta ruling that COVID measures were illegal, Johnson revealed that he has confidence that his lawsuit will be a success.

“It was literally a miracle,” he said. “It went from me having essentially a 0% chance of seeking retribution for the crimes that they’ve committed to, I believe, an 100% chance of me receiving the retribution. I view it literally as a miracle from God.”

Currently, Johnson is operating his restaurant from a pizza truck in Windermere, British Columbia after he lost his four restaurants and 50 employees.

However, Johnson remained optimistic, saying, “Hope is more contagious than the virus, and so is courage. I think what I did made a lot of people realize that it’s the people who are the power. And all we need to do is unite together and stand up in defiance of this tyrannical regime.”

“I love this country. I love it very much. I think it’s the most beautiful, inspirational, magnificent place in the whole world. We only have a few problems with it, and all of them are sitting in government right now,” he concluded.

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Alberta

Red Deer Justice Centre Grand Opening: Building access to justice for Albertans

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The new Red Deer Justice Centre will help Albertans resolve their legal matters faster.

Albertans deserve to have access to a fair, accessible and transparent justice system. Modernizing Alberta’s courthouse infrastructure will help make sure Alberta’s justice system runs efficiently and meets the needs of the province’s growing population.

Alberta’s government has invested $191 million to build the new Red Deer Justice Centre, increasing the number of courtrooms from eight to 12, allowing more cases to be heard at one time.

“Modern, accessible courthouses and streamlined services not only strengthen our justice
system – they build safer, stronger communities across the province. Investing in the new Red Deer Justice Centre is vital to helping our justice system operate more efficiently, and will give people in Red Deer and across central Alberta better access to justice.”

Mickey Amery, Minister of Justice and Attorney General

Government of Alberta and Judiciary representatives with special guests at the Red Deer Justice Centre plaque unveiling event April 22, 2025.

On March 3, all court services in Red Deer began operating out of the new justice centre. The new justice centre has 12 courtrooms fully built and equipped with video-conference equipment to allow witnesses to attend remotely if they cannot travel, and vulnerable witnesses to testify from outside the courtroom.

The new justice centre also has spaces for people taking alternative approaches to the traditional courtroom trial process, with the three new suites for judicial dispute resolution services, a specific suite for other dispute resolution services, such as family mediation and civil mediation, and a new Indigenous courtroom with dedicated venting for smudging purposes.

“We are very excited about this new courthouse for central Alberta. Investing in the places where people seek justice shows respect for the rights of all Albertans. The Red Deer Justice Centre fills a significant infrastructure need for this rapidly growing part of the province. It is also an important symbol of the rule of law, meaning that none of us are above the law, and there is an independent judiciary to decide disputes. This is essential for a healthy functioning democracy.”

Ritu Khullar, chief justice of Alberta

“Public safety and access to justice go hand in hand. With this investment in the new Red Deer Justice Centre, Alberta’s government is ensuring that communities are safer, legal matters are resolved more efficiently and all Albertans get the support they need.”

Mike Ellis, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services

“This state-of-the-art facility will serve the people of Red Deer and surrounding communities for generations. Our team at Infrastructure is incredibly proud of the work done to plan, design and build this project. I want to thank everyone, at all levels, who helped make this project a reality.”

Martin Long, Minister of Infrastructure

Budget 2025 is meeting the challenge faced by Alberta with continued investments in education and health, lower taxes for families and a focus on the economy.

Quick facts

  • The new Red Deer Justice Centre is 312,000 sq ft (29,000 m2). (The old courthouse is 98,780 sq ft (9,177 m2)).
  • The approved project funding for the Red Deer Justice Centre is about $191 million.
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Alberta

CPP another example of Albertans’ outsized contribution to Canada

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From the Fraser Institute

By Tegan Hill

Amid the economic uncertainty fuelled by Trump’s trade war, its perhaps more important than ever to understand Alberta’s crucial role in the federation and its outsized contribution to programs such as the Canada Pension Plan (CPP).

From 1981 to 2022, Albertan’s net contribution to the CPP—meaning the amount Albertans paid into the program over and above what retirees in Alberta received in CPP payments—was $53.6 billion. In 2022 (the latest year of available data), Albertans’ net contribution to the CPP was $3.0 billion.

During that same period (1981 to 2022), British Columbia was the only other province where residents paid more into the CPP than retirees received in benefits—and Alberta’s contribution was six times greater than B.C.’s contribution. Put differently, residents in seven out of the nine provinces that participate in the CPP (Quebec has its own plan) receive more back in benefits than they contribute to the program.

Albertans pay an outsized contribution to federal and national programs, including the CPP because of the province’s relatively high rates of employment, higher average incomes and younger population (i.e. more workers pay into the CPP and less retirees take from it).

Put simply, Albertan workers have been helping fund the retirement of Canadians from coast to coast for decades, and without Alberta, the CPP would look much different.

How different?

If Alberta withdrew from the CPP and established its own standalone provincial pension plan, Alberta workers would receive the same retirement benefits but at a lower cost (i.e. lower CPP contribution rate deducted from our paycheques) than other Canadians, while the contribution rate—essentially the CPP tax rate—to fund the program would likely need to increase for the rest of the country to maintain the same benefits.

And given current demographic projections, immigration patterns and Alberta’s long history of leading the provinces in economic growth, Albertan workers will likely continue to pay more into the CPP than Albertan retirees get back from it.

Therefore, considering Alberta’s crucial role in national programs, the next federal government—whoever that may be—should undo and prevent policies that negatively impact the province and Albertans ability to contribute to Canada. Think of Bill C-69 (which imposes complex, uncertain and onerous review requirements on major energy projects), Bill C-48 (which bans large oil tankers off B.C.’s northern coast and limits access to Asian markets), an arbitrary cap on oil and gas emissions, numerous other “net-zero” targets, and so on.

Canada faces serious economic challenges, including a trade war with the United States. In times like this, it’s important to remember Alberta’s crucial role in the federation and the outsized contributions of Alberta workers to the wellbeing of Canadians across the country.

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