Alberta Is Getting Taken To Court Because The Health Orders Are 'Cancelling Christmas'

The province is being asked to suspend health orders for Christmas.
Alberta Is Getting Taken To Court Because The Health Orders Are 'Cancelling Christmas'
Jeff Whyte | Dreamstime
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A Calgary judge will be hearing a legal challenge on Monday, December 21 which says that the current health orders are effectively trying to "cancel Christmas" in Alberta. 

According to a statement released by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, two churches and three individuals are putting forth the argument that the restrictions violate the Charter of Rights. They are looking to temporarily pause some of the public health rules. 

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It now falls to the courts to decide if [...] Albertans [can decide] for themselves whether to celebrate Christmas with their families in their own homes. James Kitchen, lawyer for Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms

The Alberta Government is being accused of "cancelling Christmas." Lawyers involved in the court case say that health measures are doing more harm than good. 

It now falls to the courts to decide if one unelected doctor can prevent millions of healthy Albertans—who are at almost no risk from COVID-19—from deciding for themselves whether to celebrate Christmas with their families in their own homes,” stated James Kitchen, lawyer for the Justice Centre.

At present, indoor gatherings are limited to only immediate household members. 

Outdoor gatherings are the same. 

Dine-in services at restaurants are no longer allowed and working from home is mandatory if possible. 

“It is clear on the evidence before the court that the only tools being utilized by the chief medical officer of health to manage the COVID-19 outbreak in Alberta are extreme restrictions of human rights," Global News quoted lawyer Jeffrey R. W. Rath. 

The emergency application will be heard on Monday in Calgary. 

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  • Britanny Burr
    Britanny Burr was a Staff Writer at Narcity Canada, who drove growth within Narcity's Western coverage and readership. Having lived between her hometown, Canmore, Alberta and Calgary, Montreal, Vancouver, and NYC over the past 10 years, she is obsessed with finding the best local hot spots. She holds a B.A. in English and has over six years of professional writing experience as Head Writer and Editor for YUL.Buzz in Montreal, and Creative Copywriter at JAKT in NYC. News by day, poetry by night — the written word is Britanny's nearest and dearest.

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