At the height of COVID hysteria, governments imposed unprecedented restrictions on freedom, using the "flatten the curve" narrative to justify lockdowns. Businesses were forced to shutter, and small enterprises were hit the hardest, while big-box stores like Costco and Walmart stayed open.

Now, a class-action lawsuit launched by the law firm Rath & Company is challenging Alberta's COVID-19 public health orders, accusing the province of political manipulation and unfairly targeting small businesses.

Lawyers Jeffrey Rath and Eva Chipiuk argue that the restrictions which shuttered small businesses while imposing costly measures like plexiglass barriers and sanitation stations upon reopening, were both harmful and unjust. The lawsuit draws on the Ingram Decision, which ruled that the COVID-19 restriction orders issued by Alberta’s former medical officer of health Deena Hinshaw were illegal due to improper implementation.

Small business owners are seeking compensation for the damages they claim were caused by these public health orders, which they allege were enacted in bad faith under the leadership of former Premier Jason Kenney. Chipiuk noted that the case does not require proving intent but rather that the government knew its actions would inflict irreversible harm on small businesses.

Although the Alberta government has defended its actions, arguing that the measures were necessary to curb the spread of COVID-19, the lawsuit challenges that justification.

“We’re dealing with a lot of people within the bureaucracy that have a vested interest to continue the cover-up and continue to keep the citizens of Alberta from realizing how poorly served they were by the government of Alberta throughout the COVID pandemic,” explains Rath.

"A small segment of society was harmed,” said Chipiuk, before explaining how much public funding was funneled into the public sector.

"We were given information and evidence that the province spent 13 billion dollars over three years in COVID programs and support for the public sector. So why aren’t we talking about that? Where do we draw the line, that that was okay, but the private sector, let’s just forget about them? We don’t know how much the government gave the private sector through grants because the witness wasn’t able to reconcile that, and she’s the top accountant for the province. So it was somewhere between 650 million dollars to maybe 750 million. But it’s quite a discrepancy between the two."

The case echoes past legal precedents, such as the 1959 Roncarelli vs. Duplessis ruling, where the Supreme Court found that government officials cannot arbitrarily infringe on an individual's rights for personal or political reasons.

As the legal battle unfolds, business owners and legal experts continue to call for greater accountability from government officials for the economic fallout of the pandemic response.

PETITION: Kill the Vegan Bill!

2,785 signatures

Goal: 10,000 signatures

Help stop Bill C-293 from undermining Canadian agriculture, health, and freedom! This bill, quietly moving through the Senate, grants the government broad powers that could unfairly target animal agriculture, promoting a vegan agenda under the guise of public health. By threatening the livelihoods of Canadian farmers and restricting food choices, Bill C-293 endangers food sovereignty and sets a dangerous precedent for government overreach. Join us in defending Canada’s agricultural sector and ensuring that farmers and consumers maintain their freedom to choose. Sign the petition today to Kill the Vegan Bill!

Sign Now

Optional email code

Will you sign?

First Name

Last Name

Email

Mobile phone

Send me email updates

Send me text message updates

Country AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos (Keeling) IslandsColombiaComorosCongoCongo, the Democratic Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzech RepublicCôte d'IvoireDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFalkland Islands (Malvinas)Faroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard Island and McDonald IslandsHoly See (Vatican City State)HondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIran, Islamic Republic ofIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People's Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesia, Federated States ofMoldova, Republic ofMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth KoreaNorth Macedonia, Republic ofNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestine, State ofPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRomaniaRussian FederationRwandaRéunionSaint BarthélemySaint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da CunhaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Martin (French part)Saint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint Maarten (Dutch part)SlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth Georgia and the South Sandwich IslandsSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan MayenSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyrian Arab RepublicTaiwanTajikistanTanzania, United Republic ofThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUnited States Minor Outlying IslandsUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuela, Bolivarian Republic ofViet NamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.S.Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweÅland Islands

Street address

Apt, suite, etc.

City

State AlabamaAlaskaAmerican SamoaArizonaArkansasArmed Forces AmericasArmed Forces EuropeArmed Forces PacificCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareDistrict of ColumbiaFederated States of MicronesiaFloridaGeorgiaGuamHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarshall IslandsMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPalauPennsylvaniaPuerto RicoRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirgin IslandVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

Zip code

Apt, suite, etc.

City

Province

Postal code

Apt, suite, etc.

City/Suburb

State/territory

Postal code

Apt, suite, etc.

City

Postal code

Street 2

City

Postcode

Apt, suite, etc.

City

Province

Postal code

Apartment, suite, etc.

City

Postal code

Apt, suite, etc.

City

Postal code

Apt, suite, etc.

City

State/region

Postal code

Comments (optional)