Few if any 18-year-olds have had a year like Cody Kuntz..In the last 12 months, he was booted from his Grade 12 class for not wearing a mask, finished early online, became an activist in his newly found spare time, faced criminal charges for said activism, and was designated — then yanked — as the PPC candidate for Prince Albert..Kuntz told the Western Standard it all began at his high school in Wilkie, Sask. when asthmatic Kuntz refused to wear a mask in school..“I thought that was crazy. So when they kicked me out, I thought there was obviously other kids dealing with the same situation as me, or something similar. So that’s where I started being public on social media,” Kuntz said..The precocious student graduated Grade 12 online and moved to Prince Albert where he attacked his studies with diligence, finishing three-and-a-half months early. With time on his hands to “change the world,” he attended freedom rallies. At the events, past PPC candidates such as Mark Friesen and Laura Lynn Thompson left an impression on him..“I’ve always been into politics. I always knew how corrupt the government was, and I always wanted to change that,” Kuntz said..Any reformer needs a mix of courage, conviction, and endurance to meet his goals, characteristics Kuntz soon demonstrated..On May 11, Kuntz and an underage friend named Evan (whose full name is omitted due to his age) went on a whim to Tommy Douglas High School in Saskatoon to speak with students..“We just thought we’re going to go inside, talk to them, give them some pamphlets and listen to see where their minds are at and then inform them.”.After conversing with students on the school yard, they walked through the halls of the school without wearing masks. They stayed inside less than four minutes as they found few students inside. They moved on to Pope John Paul II Elementary School and stood across the street with signs like “Honk for Freedom”, “Just Say No”, and “Unmask the kids.”.Both Kuntz and Evan were charged with three counts of mischief and one count of disturbing the peace by shouting. (Ironically, Kuntz claims they were asking the police if they were being charged when they raised their voices.) The two were placed under conditions not to communicate with each other directly or indirectly..Kuntz insisted they never did, yet when they appeared together to speak at a freedom rally, the police charged them with breaching conditions. Their court date is September 27, and there’s an online fundraising page for Kuntz’s legal fees..The young man met PPC leader Maxime Bernier while attending a freedom rally in Regina where Bernier received a $2,800 ticket for violating anti-social gathering and other COVID orders..“I said, ‘Hey, I might run in the election.’ And he says, ‘Do it!’” Kuntz recalled. Soon, Kuntz was with Bernier in the town of Milden when the hotel had opened illegally..“That was amazing, even the support from Max. And that was unfortunate too, the police sitting there videotaping us for no reason, pulling us over. I guess there was a murder there maybe a week or two before. Instead of investigating the murder, they were investigating us for standing up and having a hamburger and speaking and supporting a local small business.”.Kuntz started a podcast but quickly ran afoul of internet censors..“I was on Apple, Spotify, all — everything — and I did an episode they didn’t like so now I’m banned. I only have Facebook and YouTube and Twitter right now to do my podcast, which sucks the end would be that quick. I only had maybe six episodes,” said Kuntz, who added he’s still not fully sure why his podcast was yanked..“I really wish I knew. I think they said I was promoting dangerous acts or something … but they didn’t actually say what words I said. I probably said, ‘Don’t go out and get the vaccine,’ or something. And they’re like, ‘That’s dangerous!’ I was waiting for the time to come. I just didn’t think it would come so quickly.”.Hearing Kuntz talk about his activism and the saying, “Can’t stop, won’t stop,” comes to mind..“Everybody says to me, ‘Oh my God, you just don’t end, do you?’ And I say, ‘No, I’m not ending ‘til I win, until I prove my point. I’m going to keep doing whatever I’ve got to do,’” Kuntz said..“It’s upsetting what’s happening, arresting pastors and locking kids away and making them quarantine. It’s just a joke. And that’s why … we’ve got to do whatever we can [even though] you can only do so much.”.Kuntz said he is “a big fan” of Mark Friesen, who frequently live streams. A few weeks ago, the PPC candidate for Saskatoon-Grasswood mentioned on his program he knew “someone” in Prince Albert who should run. Kuntz decided to step forward with the encouragement of his friends..“I didn’t think they would accept me, being so young and everything, but they said, ‘That’s not a problem. We’re excited to have you,’” Kuntz recalled..A few days of campaigning was enough to see a contrast between Prince Albert and smaller centres on their attitudes towards lockdowns, forced masking, and other COVID orders..“In Melfort, I only saw one person wearing a mask when I was there last week. But [in Prince Albert] you still see people walking around today with a mask on at two o’clock in the morning because they’re still gonna kill grandma,” said Kuntz with a laugh..“I just, I don’t understand their logic. Much as I try and get inside their brain, I just can’t..“Sometimes they’ll walk by my window. I’ll pull up to them and just try to ask them, but they [say] ‘What? What are you saying? What are you asking me?’ I can’t talk to stupid people. I can’t. It’s too hard on me.”.Kuntz, who turns 19 in January, said his campaign announcement brought “a lot of weird messages and definitely more hate,” but he believed even the chatter of critics could work to his advantage..“That might give the message to somebody who’s actually awake and against this stuff, but just won’t say it, and then they’ll be able to find me and bam! there we go, another amazing supporter. So they’re really only helping me out by bashing my name across everywhere.”.“Across everywhere” might describe the vast 18,927 square kilometres of the Prince Albert riding, represented by incumbent Conservative MP Randy Hoback since 2008. Only one other constituency (Saskatchewan’s Lake Centre riding) can similarly boast representation by two prime ministers, Liberal William Lyon Mackenzie King from 1926 to 1945 and Progressive Conservative John Diefenbaker from 1953 to 1979. King and Diefenbaker squared off in 1926, the only time that two future prime ministers did so..Kuntz’s few days as the candidate were enough to inspire some blow-back..“Well, it’s definitely not easy, I will say that. Ever since l announced that I was vying in the election, I’ve had so many people just hate on me, and saying, ‘You’re a creep! You sat outside the school. Does the PPC know that?’” So, I was like, ‘They probably would join me, If you think that’s a terrible person, well, I think you’ve gotta reconsider,’” Kuntz said..“The PPC is probably the only party I can almost 100% relate to and know that they will allow me to voice my opinion, and … give me a fair chance of running in the election.”.It turned out to not be so for Kuntz. He notified Western Standard on August 21 of his removal as a candidate..“I just got an email this morning about it saying I was booted due to inappropriate things being said in… live streams. Which is 1,000% a lie because I watch what I say and I’ve never once had an issue ever about something I said in any video. With the amount of people that see my videos, I’m sure at-least one person would have told me,” wrote Kuntz..Tonie Wells, a friend and self-described fellow “freedom fighter,” told Kuntz not to take the dismissal personally..“I said to him, ‘I think you’re being ousted because you are 18 and they just wanted to have that kind of family guy in there, life experience…They don’t care who’s running. For optics, it’s just the best chance at a win.’”.Replacement candidate Joseph McCrea , a married father who manages properties for a real estate company, can actively campaign until election day, something Kuntz was unable to do..He starts classes in Edmonton at the University of Alberta on September 1, nearly three weeks prior to the September 20 election..Wells – who has a background in law enforcement and health care – believes Kuntz has a lot going for him..“He’s loyal, he’s honest, he’s hard working, but he’s always willing to learn. He’s going to change some things in the U of A,” said Wells..“Cody’s going to turn a lot of heads. I think he’s going to be able to reach a lot of our youth that are seeking the truth, and … wondering what’s going on in the world. And he has got a great way of communicating and just being real and raw with people that tends to really go far. He’s gonna have a really good impact up there.”.For now, Kuntz just hopes he won’t have to wear a mask to start classes again like he did last year..“I’m going to the U of A and right now there is no masks and there is no forced vaccine like there is here in Saskatchewan. So I am lucky for now. I hope Alberta stays awake and doesn’t go to that, but you just don’t know. It’s so unpredictable,” Kuntz said..Lee Harding is the Saskatchewan Political Columnist for the Western Standard.
