Legal action vowed if Calgary put into COVID-19 lockdown

By Dave Naylor

The Justice Centre, a non-profit, non-partisan, non-political public interest law firm, made the vow after Calgary Emergency Management Chief Tom Sampson mused a 28-day “circuit breaker” may be needed

Any attempt to move Calgary into a COVID-19 lockdown will be met with court action, says a Canadian legal advocacy group.

The Justice Centre, a non-profit, non-partisan, non-political public interest law firm, made the vow after Calgary Emergency Management Chief Tom Sampson mused a 28-day “circuit breaker” may be needed to stop the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the city.

“This second wave is large and it may run over our healthcare system,” Sampson tweeted. “We must stop the spread of Covid-19, there is little to debate here…the tsunami siren is wailing.”

The Justice Centre, who said its mission is to protect the Charter freedoms of Canadians to gather, assemble and worship, and to reject destructive restrictions, fired off a legal warning letter to Sampson on Nov. 17 and copied to the Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi.