Calgary mayoral candidate sentenced to probation for 9 months
CALGARY Mayoral candidate Kevin J. Johnston was placed on nine months of probation Monday after pleading guilty to criminal charges relating to an incident at the Core Shopping Centre and for harassing an Alberta Health Services inspector.
Provincial court Judge Harry Van Harten accepted a joint submission from Crown prosecutor Peter Mackenzie and defence lawyer Balfour Der which spared Johnston serving any more time in jail.
Johnston, 49, pleaded guilty to charges of causing a disturbance at the Core Shopping Centre and harassing an Alberta Health Services inspector.
Mackenzie told the judge Johnston has spent 48 days behind bars since his arrest in May — the equivalent of 72 days in custody when given the usual 1.5 days credit for every day served.
The prosecutor said Johnston embarked on an online campaign where he repeatedly posted information about a public health inspector, including photos of her husband and blurred images of her children, threatening to put her in jail once he's elected mayor.
His first posting showed her at Pastor Artur Pawlowski's Church Street Ministry in which he called her an AHS terrorist on his website, Mackenzie said.
He also posted: “This woman will be in jail when I am the mayor of Calgary and so will the members of Alberta Health Services.”
Johnston then proceeded to embark on a campaign where he posted photos of the woman and her family members, asking, “If you know her address please let me know. I have documents for her to chew on.”
Mackenzie said one of Johnston's followers responded, “Let's go to her house.”
“Kevin Johnston (also) posted a live event where he made disparaging remarks about the complainant,” the prosecutor told Van Harten.
In another, he said once he is elected mayor he would “make her life miserable.”
In a victim impact statement, the woman said she was terrified Johnston or his supporters would show up at her home and she told the court how she had to drive her children to school for their safety.
Johnston also admitted going to the Core Shopping Centre on May 22 with a group of supporters and attempting to enter two shoe stores while unmasked.
“He became belligerent with staff,” Mackenzie said.
While police were called, the group left before the officers arrived.
Johnston is also facing potential sanctions, including possibly more jail time, after being found guilty of contempt of court for repeatedly ignoring court orders that he comply with public health measures designed to combat the spread of COVID -19.
He is scheduled to face a hearing later this month.
Among the conditions of his nine months of probation is that he have no contact with the inspector and her family and not post any images of any AHS or ministry of health employees online.