More calls for controversial mayoral candidate to be removed from Calgary ballot

CALGARY — After he plead guilty to a pair of charges in a Calgary courtroom this week, there are growing calls for Kevin J. Johnston to be removed from the ballot in this fall’s municipal election.

Johnston — who often incorrectly calls himself mayor-elect — plead guilty to harassment and causing a disturbance, relating to his anti-mask activities during the pandemic. The charge of harassment centred around him sharing a photo of an Alberta Health Services (AHS) employee’s family online.

As a result, Johnston has now been ordered to spend nine months on probation.

He is also subject to other lawsuits and also has a restraining order against him, forbidding him from getting close to AHS employees. In the past, Johnston has also faced numerous charges around the country and was once ordered to pay $2.5 million for Islamophobic remarks made in Ontario.

But with all of this considered, nothing can legally stop him from running for mayor and that is causing frustration for one candidate in particular.

“I believe the province has a responsibility to evaluate this candidate and determine whether he is fit to be a candidate,” said Ward 3 Councillor and mayoral candidate Jyoti Gondek.

Gondek said not much can be done on a local level through Elections Calgary, but the province could possibly step in to intervene.

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“The Local Authorities Election Act is what governs our election process, and unfortunately it is only the provincial government — through the minister of municipal affairs — that can either make amendments to that act or can make a decision on an individual candidate.”

A spokesperson for Minister Ric McIver said that while the province sympathizes with some of the concerns, they also do not feel comfortable stepping in.

“Alberta’s government condemns the actions of this individual who is seeking to run as a Mayoral Candidate in the upcoming municipal election in Calgary this fall,” read the statement from Charlotte Taillon. “The role of Alberta’s government during a municipal election is to uphold the integrity of the Local Authorities Election Act (LAEA) and the democratic process. It is not the role of Alberta’s government to limit who can or cannot run in a municipal election.

“We are confident that the good people of Calgary will send a strong message by overwhelmingly rejecting this odious individual, sending a strong message that there’s no room for this behaviour in their community.”

Taillon added that the province has also taken steps through the courts, by laying charges on Johnston in the past months. In addition, the government promised to continue working with police and municipalities to uphold the integrity of the election and ensure people are safe.

WATCH: Alberta Health Services is suing Kevin J. Johnston for $1.3 million, alleging he harassed and threatened their employees

Ward 11 Councillor and mayoral candidate Jeromy Farkas agreed that some changes could be made as well, but it is a tough position to be in.

“Elected office bestows a certain duty of trust, and I think Calgarians need to trust that those who are running and those who are serving after winning an election are there for the right reasons,” he said. “I think, at the bare minimum, having some sort of criminal police check would be absolutely appropriate.”

Farkas said the safety and security of voters is essential, and recalled the previous debate around the voters list being sent out to all candidates.

“I think there needs to be some type of opt-out mechanism for people who may not be comfortable with their personal information being shared with candidates, and there also needs to be some review and changes to the provincial legislation that sets out who can run and who can’t,” he added. “We’ve been stuck with the same laws for many, many decades.”

Gondek warned there could be an unsettling precedent set here if nothing else is done, as this is somewhat uncharted territory for the city.

“The dangerous predicament we are in now is how you evaluate whether someone is fit to be a candidate, and I think it’s something that we’ve overlooked for a long time because it’s generally been good people running,” she said. “That’s a very big responsibility that the province should be looking at very seriously, right away.”

As it stands now there are currently 20 people running for mayor in Calgary, as Naheed Nenshi is not seeking a fourth term at the position in the Oct. 18 vote.