Alberta businesses launch class action for millions in losses due to pandemic public health orders
Attorneys have filed a brief on behalf of Alberta businesses detailing a class action lawsuit launched against the provincial government's "unlawful pandemic-era health orders."
The proposed class action brief, as found on the Rath & Company website, seeks compensation for the harms caused by the province. “The shared damage inflicted by the province’s unlawful health orders makes the class action an essential mechanism for justice and systemic issue resolution,” wrote Alberta lawyer Eva Chipiuk on social media.
Chipiuk said she and her colleagues “uncovered information revealing a stark disparity in how COVID-19 support funds were allocated between the public and private sectors.”
Over three years, the province allocated $13 billion to the public sector, but a mere $700 million to private small businesses — as Chipiuk points out, only 5% of the total funds were allocated to the private sector.
‼️ IMPORTANT UPDATE ‼️
We are pleased to announce the filing of the Brief on behalf of the Plaintiffs in the Alberta Business Class Action.
In the Brief, we outline our reasons for seeking class action certification for the harms caused by Province’s unlawful health orders. In… pic.twitter.com/HqQ5ET7snI
— Eva Chipiuk, BSc, LLB, LLM (@echipiuk) August 15, 2024
“That will tell you where their priorities were, making sure the bureaucrats are okay, not making sure Albertans are okay,” lawyer Jeffrey Rath told the Western Standard.
The brief, filed with the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta, includes lead plaintiffs Rebecca Marie Ingram and Christopher Scott, of the Whistlestop Cafe. Rath said thousands of plaintiffs have signed on to the class action suit, and noted with class actions in Alberta, people don’t have to sign up. Hundreds of Albertans were impacted, he said, including a physiotherapist out $130,000 and a dentist who lost $1.5 million. One restaurant has lost over $12 million dollars, and even one restauranter in Edmonton committed suicide over these public health orders.
Rath and Chipiuk in the lawsuit point to the Public Health Act, which says the government, including Public Health Officer Deena Hinshaw, can’t be sued for orders issued under the act. However, then-Premier Jason Kenny issued the orders outside the act, Rath explained.
“That’s what ultra vires means — it means not under the Public Health Act," he said.
“Because the orders were not under the Public Health Act, the government has huge liability.” Had they issued them under the act, “that would have been perfectly legal,” added Rath.
“They weren’t medical decisions. They were political decisions that they were dressing up as medical decisions," he said, adding the whole scenario "shows contempt for Alberta businesspeople."
“That’s what made it violate the Public Health Act — not Hinshaw, but Kenny. On what basis is a divinity school drop-out qualified to make those decisions?”
“Even if the orders had been for a bonafide purpose, on what planet should a society harm people for the ‘benefit of society as a whole’ without society as a whole compensating those people for that harm?”
Berta Dad nailed it. Copied from FB.
Jeff Rath’s behaviour toward Danielle Smith is not a good look for this movement, and he does not speak for me.
When this started, I had respect for him. But as this has played out, it has become harder to ignore what appears to be a push for power inside the movement, not a sincere focus on Alberta independence.
Danielle Smith is a major reason Albertans were even able to collect signatures in the first place. Compared to any other premier in this country, I believe she has been the strongest one standing up for her province.
I will not forget her accomplishments.
She stood up for parental rights when others wanted schools keeping parents in the dark.
She took action against political ideology being pushed in classrooms.
She made sure kids got back to school when the system tried to hold families hostage.
She has strengthened Alberta Sheriffs and continued exploring ways to free Alberta from relying on the RCMP.
And that is only part of it.
This ...
WEF/UN/Globalists have proven they can’t be trusted now given the key to Canada. Are you awake yet Canadians??
REPORT: UN Climate Scientists Flip on the Climate Doomsday Narrative | Stand on Guard CLIP
WATCH Have they been lying about climate change this whole time? Are they cancelling climate change doomsday scenario for the data centers?
The UN climate scientists admit the high emission doomsday scenarios were overblown. UN climate change scientists flip: climate change not too bad anymore according to a new report. No doomsday on the horizon.
On this Stand on Guard clip, we question why the UN might be backtracking on previous dire predictions, suggesting a new agenda at play. We examine how this shift could be tied to the proliferation of data center construction and the increasing demands on our power grid from artificial intelligence. It's crucial to consider the broader implications for our communities and hold big tech accountable.
Thank you to @jimmy_dore for pointing out this...
Listening to Ganum today on the meeting that Premier Smith is having with Lukasek I am wondering why not just have his referendum on the vote in October? If enough say no to his question isn't it the same as a referendum that the other side wants? I for one want this to wake up the East and don't care how it happens. Another caller said she needs to call an provincial election in October and take the rest of questions off the ballot - this could be risky but I am leaning toward it as terrified that the NDP will get in again and right now Nemshi is their handicap IMHO.
