Jesse Johnson, owner of Without Papers Pizza

From LifeSiteNews

By Clare Marie Merkowsky

Without Papers Pizza owner is suing the City of Calgary, the province of Alberta and former Chief Medical Officer Deena Hinshaw for shutting down his business in 2021.

A Canadian pizza shop filed a $3.6 million lawsuit against Alberta and the City of Calgary over illegal COVID closures.

Jesse Johnson, owner of Without Papers Pizza, announced that he is seeking restitution for closing his restaurants that served unvaccinated Canadians.

“We are suing the City of Calgary, the Province of Alberta, and former (Alberta chief medical officer) Deena Hinshaw, and we are going to win. It is our hope that our case will set (a) precedent and that Albertans are never medically segregated again,” Without Papers Pizza’s website says.

In October 2021, Without Papers Pizza was permanently shut down for refusing to enforce the vaccine passport and serving unvaccinated Canadians. In addition to having the business closed, Johnson faced massive fines for opposing the vaccine passport mandate.

However, in July 2023, the Alberta Court of Kings Bench ruled that all mandates issued by Hinshaw were illegal.

This included the restriction exemptions program used to justify closing the pizza restaurant. Shortly after, in November 2023, all charged against Johnson were dropped.

Now, Johnson is seeking compensation for his losses in addition to justice for Canadians who were blocked from restaurants due to their vaccination status.

“It cost me everything. I lost my restaurant, my other two restaurants in Calgary, my marriage, my family, my houses, my wealth, and a good portion of my sanity,” he told independent journalist Mocha Bezirgan.

“I hope that my lawsuit will set a precedent and that Albertans are never medically segregated again,” Johnson continued.

Thanks to the new Alberta ruling that COVID measures were illegal, Johnson revealed that he has confidence that his lawsuit will be a success.

“It was literally a miracle,” he said. “It went from me having essentially a 0% chance of seeking retribution for the crimes that they’ve committed to, I believe, an 100% chance of me receiving the retribution. I view it literally as a miracle from God.”

Currently, Johnson is operating his restaurant from a pizza truck in Windermere, British Columbia after he lost his four restaurants and 50 employees.

This is my new pizza joint in Windermere, BC. It’s called POW Pizza. I opened this just before I lost Without Papers Pizza for feeding the unvaccinated. At the time I had 4 restaurants & 50 employees. Now it’s just me in a truck. I accept cash, vodka, gold & ammunition. ✊🍕🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/bCrdRAeLCN

— Without Papers Pizza (@wopizza4) April 20, 2024

However, Johnson remained optimistic, saying, “Hope is more contagious than the virus, and so is courage. I think what I did made a lot of people realize that it’s the people who are the power. And all we need to do is unite together and stand up in defiance of this tyrannical regime.”

“I love this country. I love it very much. I think it’s the most beautiful, inspirational, magnificent place in the whole world. We only have a few problems with it, and all of them are sitting in government right now,” he concluded.

News release from Free Alberta Strategy

The recent debate around zoning across the province is a prime example of federal encroachment.

The federal government offered money to cities to help with housing affordability challenges, but only made the money available if cities promised to change zoning policies.

As you are aware, The Free Alberta Strategy was built on the concept that the federal government needs to keep out of provincial jurisdiction.

For years, Ottawa has been watering down the constitutional delineation of duties between the federal government and the provincial government.

Bill 18 – the Provincial Priorities Act – is anticipated to pass in the Alberta Legislature this week, and represents a huge step in the direction of greater provincial jurisdictional autonomy.

The Provincial Priorities Act has been dubbed the “Keep Out of Our Backyard” law by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.

Under the Provincial Priorities Act, any agreements between the federal government and any provincial entities – including municipalities – must receive provincial approval to be considered valid.

Agreements between the federal government and provincial entities lacking Alberta’s endorsement will be deemed illegal under this legislation.

When the legislation was announced, Smith was not mincing words:

“It is not unreasonable for Alberta to demand fairness from Ottawa. They have shown time and again that they will put ideology before practicality, which hurts Alberta families and our economy. We are not going to apologize for continuing to stand up for Albertans so we get the best deal possible.

“Since Ottawa refuses to acknowledge the negative impacts of its overreach, even after losing battles at the Federal and Supreme Courts, we are putting in additional measures to protect our provincial jurisdiction to ensure our province receives our fair share of federal tax dollars and that those dollars are spent on the priorities of Albertans.”

Although the federal government has limited direct authority in provincial jurisdiction, it can leverage its substantial financial resources to prompt or pressure provincial governments into specific actions.

The recent debate around zoning across the province is a prime example of federal encroachment.

The federal government offered money to cities to help with housing affordability challenges, but only made the money available if cities promised to change zoning policies.

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek tried to claim that the federal housing funds were not contingent on the city’s rezoning efforts, but federal Housing Minister Sean Fraser posted a pretty strong response on social media platform X (formerly Twitter):

“If Calgary, or any other city, does not meet the conditions they have agreed to, we will withhold funding under the agreement.”

The federal government played the same trick in many other provinces, too.

But, notably, in Quebec, the federal government just gave the Quebec government the cash and let them distribute it to their municipalities without conditions.

It’s tempting to think this is just more federal bias towards Quebec.

But, actually, this is a great example of how pushing back can have results.

You see, the Provincial Priorities Act in Alberta is modeled after existing legislation in Quebec, known as “An Act Respecting the Ministère du Conseil exécutif,” which prohibits any municipal body from negotiating or entering into agreements with the federal government or its agencies without explicit authorization from the Quebec government.

If Ottawa wants to meddle in Quebec’s jurisdiction, it must first seek Quebec’s approval.

And it works – the federal government got back in line.

Now, with the Provincial Priorities Act, if Ottawa wants to meddle in Alberta’s jurisdiction, it must first seek Alberta’s approval.

It’s time for Ottawa to recognize Alberta’s autonomy and respect our right to determine our own future.

At the Free Alberta Strategy, we understand that constant vigilance is necessary – every time we establish a boundary, the federal government tries to circumvent it.

We will continue to inform you about what’s happening in Alberta and fight to keep Ottawa out.

But we need your support.

With your help, we can continue our work to defend Alberta’s sovereignty and serve the best interests of all Albertans.

Enough is enough – we will not stand by while our interests are disregarded.

If you are in a financial position to contribute to our work, please donate!