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Kevin Johnston returns to court

Courthouse

Controversial former Calgary City Council candidate Kevin Johnston was back in court in Drumheller on Friday, April 28.
The charges Johnston is facing in Drumheller court stem from an April 2021 incident in Delburne. Three Hills RCMP were informed of a protest in Delburne on April 7, 2021 against COVID-19 protocols. It was discovered Johnston was in attendance, but had left before officers arrived.
He is facing criminal charges of forcible entry, causing a disturbance, and mischief. He is also facing three counts under the Petty Trespassing Act and a single violation of the Alberta Public Health Act. Charges were sworn in July 2021 from this incident.
Johnston appeared in person with duty counsel. He asked that a referral letter be prepared for him to get Legal Aid to fight his charges. On previous appearances, Lawyer Ian McCuaig, of McCuaig Law in Ontario, appeared on behalf of Johnston.
He is scheduled to return to court in Drumheller on Friday, May 26 in order for him to apply for Legal Aid and to attain counsel.
Earlier this month Johnston was ordered to pay $650,000 to AHS Public Health Inspector Sarah Nunn after a Judgement in Court of King’s Bench by the Honourable Justice Colin C.J. Feasby. The decision found the plaintiffs were harassed and defamed by Mr. Johnston.
He is also restricted from coming within 50 metres of hospitals and AHS clinics, and 25 metres from the entrances of all AHS facilities.


Drumheller issues Fire Restriction

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As of May 5, 2023, the Town of Drumheller has issued a Fire Restriction.
The Town of Drumheller advises that only necessary burning should take place, and with
extreme caution. Fire hazard levels within the Town and the surrounding areas are currently
at a level where fire can start and grow quickly. The public is asked to ensure that all fires
are attended to and completely extinguished before being left unattended.
Prohibited
• Consumer fireworks
• All burning that is not contained to a fire pit conforming to Fire Bylaw 04.07
• All burn permits are revoked
• Fires previously allowed by permit must be extinguished
Permitted
• Recreational fire pits that are compliant with Fire Bylaw 04.07
• Natural gas, propane, electric stoves, barbecues and smokers that are CSA
approved or ULC certified
• Solid fuelled barbecue appliances, where the primary source of fuel consists of
charcoal, briquettes, or wood
There is a very high risk of fire spreading during windy conditions in any cured (dead and
dry) grass fuel type, such as those that exist across the Town and the surrounding areas at
the current time. Due to the rapidly changing weather conditions and the fine fuel moisture
content, the Town of Drumheller may move to a Fire Ban with little to no notice.
To review and subscribe to fire advisories and bans, please visit www.albertafirebans.ca

MP Kurek weighs in on federal budget

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The federal budget was presented a few weeks ago, and slowly more details are coming to light, such as the dental plan and a grocery rebate. While it has yet to be passed, Damin Kurek, MP for Battle-River Crowfoot is still not seeing anything he could support.
On April 20, the Budget Implementation Act was introduced, and Kurek expected there would be a number of budget votes coming.
“We’re still waiting for details. The budget is the template, but we are looking for specific details on a lot of what the government announced,” said Kurek.
He expects it will be the focus of the Canadian Parliament over the next few weeks. He noted the Conservatives requested the Liberal Government include three key items in this budget: allow Canadians to bring home powerful paycheques with lower taxes, so hard work pays off again; bring home lower prices by ending inflationary carbon tax hikes and deficit spending which drive up inflation and interest rates; and bring homes people can afford by removing government gatekeepers to free up land, and speed up building permits.
“It is interesting that some of the things the Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister said repeatedly over the last couple of years, fiscal anchors, for example, the red line that she would never cross is increasing Canada’s debt-to-GDP ratio,” he said. “That red line has been erased, or crossed or missed altogether. We have seen the cost of maintenance on our debt balloon dramatically to $41 billion. To put that into context, $41 billion in debt maintenance, that not even making payments, that simply paying the debt servicing costs. Yet our deficit is $43 billion…so we are borrowing unbelievably huge amounts of money to simply service the debt.”
He also notes there are many programs that are looking more expensive than they initially were projected to be.
“Take dental, for example. A lot of Canadians were following closely when the announcements related to dental care were made, but there is very little collaboration with provinces on what is and what is not covered. That is certainly an ongoing frustration, and the Liberals seem to be acting without consulting their provincial counterparts,” he said.
“Canadians are struggling, they need certainty, they need predictability, and that is certainly not what we are getting from this most recent budget.”
He said the party is willing to work with anyone who is willing to put Canadians’ best interests first.
“The Liberals were not interested in working with us when they put it together. I am not optimistic they will be any more collaborative than they were on that part when it comes to the Budget Implementation Act,” he said.
Leader of the Official Opposition, Pierre Poilievre, also expressed his disappointment and informed the House Conservatives will be voting against the budget.


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