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Kenney sends cease and desist letter to news outlet over restaurant gathering coverage

Kenney’s legal counsel asked for immediate retraction and apology
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A news outlet is claiming Premier Jason Kenney and other government officials violated public health measures by visiting restaurants for private dinners.

The Western Standard published a story Wednesday about the alleged violations, citing multiple inside UCP sources.

Kenney’s lawyer sent a cease-and-desist letter, saying the article was false and defamatory.

In the original story published Wednesday, the publication said that Kenney and several people close to him held private gatherings at a specific Edmonton restaurant on multiple occasions, that would have broken the public health measures at the time. Some of the elements of the article were retracted Friday morning.

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During the COVID-19 press conference Thursday, the premier said he had only visited the restaurant in question twice.

“The story is completely false, it is a fabrication from beginning to end. That restaurant I’ve only ever visited twice in my life, once was two and half years ago when I was the leader of the opposition and the last time was with a colleague for a rule-compliant lunch in July of last year,” Kenney said Thursday.

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“This is a complete fabrication which is why our legal counsel has written to that website demanding a full and immediate retraction and apology. I can tell you I have never visited a restaurant that was not supposed to be operating and when I have gone to restaurants during the pandemic is has been in compliance with the rules.

“In the past few months, I have dined out a few times when it was permissible for restaurants to operate, with one of my two designated close personal contacts or by myself to show some support for the industry during tough times. The story is completely false and that’s why we are taking legal steps.”



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Byron Hackett

About the Author: Byron Hackett

Byron has been the sports reporter at the advocate since December of 2016. He likes to spend his time in cold hockey arenas accompanied by luke warm, watered down coffee.
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