Alberta rancher Ty Northcott said his legal battles around his “No More Lockdowns Rodeo” last spring are still in the works..The Bowden-area rancher — a guest on the Western Standard’s Triggered with Cory Morgan on Friday — was charged for breaking provincial health orders with his spring rodeo..When asked what the exact charges were, Northcott chuckled and said, “Not sure, I think for putting a rodeo on.”.“One violation in the health act, I can’t remember what exactly it was. I don’t worry about that stuff, I let my lawyer do that,” Northcott told Morgan adding he believes he’s in “pretty good hands.”.Lawyers from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) have been representing Northcott in his legal fight..Northcott said the court case has been delayed a number of times indicating his next appearance has been scheduled for January 25..“I’m kind of excited to get to court sooner or later and see if we can’t iron out some issues with our Alberta Health Services and our tyrannical government we have right now,” said Northcott..Northcott said the rodeo industry has been negatively impacted over the last two years and will likely struggle for some time when things get active again..“In our world there is optimism, but not like you would hope,” said Northcott admitting it’s been quiet for event bookings this season and said they have written off all their spring indoor events with the hope of moving some to outdoor venues..“I don’t see us getting back to where we were in 2019, but I hope I’m wrong.”.Northcott announced in late April he would host the rodeo in contravention of provincial COVID-19 regulation which triggered backlash from Alberta Health Services (AHS) and the RCMP. At the time, health restrictions limited outdoor gatherings to a maximum of 10 people..The rodeo was originally going to be hosted by the Bowden Agriculture Society, but after receiving letters from AHS threatening to revoke all their grants, casino and liquor licences if the event was held, Northcott was forced to move the rodeo to a secret location..In an effort to thwart RCMP and AHS interference, Northcott held the announcement the rodeo would take place on his property south of Bowden until the day before the rodeo heading into the May 1 weekend..“We are going to rodeo like it’s 1999!” Northcott told the Western Standard who sponsored and attended the event..Although more than 4,000 people attended the rodeo which Alberta Premier Jason Kenney called “disturbing,” AHS only linked one COVID-19 case directly to the outdoor event. .On May 10, less than two weeks after the rodeo, Northcott and his wife Gail were served three summonses by the RCMP at the gate of his ranch. .The pair were ordered to appear in court on May 17 to face charges for breaking the Public Health Act, but with numerous date changes, the case has yet to be heard..Northcott comes from a historic rodeo family and opened up his own livestock ranch in the late ’80s..The pandemic lockdowns have hit his business hard, leaving him with only 50% of his normal stock because the costs of wintering and feeding them depleted his bank account..Melanie Risdon is a reporter with the Western Standard.,.mrisdon@westernstandardonline.com
Alberta rancher Ty Northcott said his legal battles around his “No More Lockdowns Rodeo” last spring are still in the works..The Bowden-area rancher — a guest on the Western Standard’s Triggered with Cory Morgan on Friday — was charged for breaking provincial health orders with his spring rodeo..When asked what the exact charges were, Northcott chuckled and said, “Not sure, I think for putting a rodeo on.”.“One violation in the health act, I can’t remember what exactly it was. I don’t worry about that stuff, I let my lawyer do that,” Northcott told Morgan adding he believes he’s in “pretty good hands.”.Lawyers from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) have been representing Northcott in his legal fight..Northcott said the court case has been delayed a number of times indicating his next appearance has been scheduled for January 25..“I’m kind of excited to get to court sooner or later and see if we can’t iron out some issues with our Alberta Health Services and our tyrannical government we have right now,” said Northcott..Northcott said the rodeo industry has been negatively impacted over the last two years and will likely struggle for some time when things get active again..“In our world there is optimism, but not like you would hope,” said Northcott admitting it’s been quiet for event bookings this season and said they have written off all their spring indoor events with the hope of moving some to outdoor venues..“I don’t see us getting back to where we were in 2019, but I hope I’m wrong.”.Northcott announced in late April he would host the rodeo in contravention of provincial COVID-19 regulation which triggered backlash from Alberta Health Services (AHS) and the RCMP. At the time, health restrictions limited outdoor gatherings to a maximum of 10 people..The rodeo was originally going to be hosted by the Bowden Agriculture Society, but after receiving letters from AHS threatening to revoke all their grants, casino and liquor licences if the event was held, Northcott was forced to move the rodeo to a secret location..In an effort to thwart RCMP and AHS interference, Northcott held the announcement the rodeo would take place on his property south of Bowden until the day before the rodeo heading into the May 1 weekend..“We are going to rodeo like it’s 1999!” Northcott told the Western Standard who sponsored and attended the event..Although more than 4,000 people attended the rodeo which Alberta Premier Jason Kenney called “disturbing,” AHS only linked one COVID-19 case directly to the outdoor event. .On May 10, less than two weeks after the rodeo, Northcott and his wife Gail were served three summonses by the RCMP at the gate of his ranch. .The pair were ordered to appear in court on May 17 to face charges for breaking the Public Health Act, but with numerous date changes, the case has yet to be heard..Northcott comes from a historic rodeo family and opened up his own livestock ranch in the late ’80s..The pandemic lockdowns have hit his business hard, leaving him with only 50% of his normal stock because the costs of wintering and feeding them depleted his bank account..Melanie Risdon is a reporter with the Western Standard.,.mrisdon@westernstandardonline.com
