• A young woman looks ahead and waits for the speakers at a ÒSave Small BusinessÓ rally taking place at Courthouse Park in downtown Calgary on April 11, 2021. A couple hundred people attended the event, hosted by Calgary Freedom Central, as a sign of support for the businesses that are facing hardships as a result of COVID-19 and the provincial lockdown, but also to express disdain for mask usage, vaccines, the COVID-19 testing method, and compliance with the government and the enforcement of said closures. (Photo by Alejandro Melgar/SAIT)
  • A woman sits, another holds a sign showing support, and a young child watches the speakers at a ÒSave Small BusinessÓ rally in Courthouse Park in downtown Calgary on April 11, 2021. A couple hundred people attended the event, hosted by Calgary Freedom Central, as a sign of support for the businesses that are facing hardships as a result of COVID-19 and the provincial lockdown, but also to express disdain for mask usage, vaccines, the COVID-19 testing method, and compliance with the government and the enforcement of said closures. (Photo by Alejandro Melgar/SAIT)
  • Corrina Fischer, organizer with End Alberta Lockdowns, speaks at the ÒSave Small BusinessÓ rally taking place at Courthouse Park in downtown Calgary on April 11, 2021. Fischer was helping Christopher Scott, the owner of the Whistle Stop CafŽ, prior to being shutdown by Alberta Health Services (AHS). Scott was defying orders to close amid the COVID-19 pandemic, citing unfairness in the provincial restrictions targeting small business owners. Scott has been found guilty of contempt of court in June, 2021, after being arrested during a rally that took place on May, 2021. The actions of the Alberta government prompted Fischer to organize the organization End Alberta Lockdowns. (Photo by Alejandro Melgar/SAIT)
  • Belinda Morrison, founder of the CB Rescue Foundation, speaks to a crowd with her dog in hand at a rally that wants to save small businesses at Courthouse Park in downtown Calgary on April 11, 2021. Morrison is a self-proclaimed Master Trainer with 22 years of experience in the field. Her training business closed as a result of COVID-19, and she spoke to a crowd of a couple hundred about that struggle while citing the inhumane actions of the Alberta Government toward small businesses. Many speakers were also expressing disdain for mask usage, vaccines, the COVID-19 testing method, and compliance with the government and the enforcement of said closures. (Photo by Alejandro Melgar/SAIT)
  • Travis Cain speaks to a crowd as the emcee for the “Save Small Business” rally at Courthouse Park in downtown Calgary on April 11, 2021. Cain is a volunteer with Freedom4Canada, and he regularly starts the rallies as the opening speaker. Freedom4Canada is also Freedom Corp., a corporation that sponsors different rallies, like the Save Business Rally hosted by Calgary Freedom Central, and these rallies express disdain for mask usage, vaccines, the COVID-19 testing method, and compliance with the government and the enforcement of said closures.(Photo by Alejandro Melgar/SAIT)
  • Roman Cintula, former CEO of GT-Tech, speaks at the ÒSave Small BusinessÓ rally about mask exemptions at Courthouse Park in downtown Calgary on April 11, 2021. Cintula is part of Freedom4Canada, otherwise known as Freedom Corp., which is directed by Rebecca Ingram, and the corporation collects donations and membership fees for use with lawsuits they have filled against the Alberta Government for claims they made regarding inhumane practices and acts against humanity, along with helping to pay for legal fees of business owners that have defied public health orders. They are not a charity, but an Alberta corporation; however, there are no financial records to collect at a corporate registry for Freedom Corp. (Photo by Alejandro Melgar/SAIT)
  • A man stands with a crowd as they listen to speakers at the ÒSave Small BusinessÓ with Frisco ÒThe Freedom LionÓ nearby at Courthouse Park in downtown Calgary on April 11, 2021. Frisco ÒThe Freedom LionÓ is the mascot for Calgary Freedom Central, the hosts for the rally, and he stands with a couple hundred people as a sign of support for the businesses that are facing hardships as a result of COVID-19 and the provincial lockdown, but also to express disdain for mask usage, vaccines, the COVID-19 testing method, and compliance with the government and the enforcement of said closures. (Photo by Alejandro Melgar/SAIT)
  • Frisco “The Freedom Lion” stands and listens to the speakers as they talk at the “Save Small Business” rally in Courthouse Park in downtown Calgary on April 11, 2021. Frisco, the mascot for Calgary Freedom Central, stood with a couple hundred people during the rally that was hosted by Calgary Freedom Central. The rally was for supporting small businesses that are facing hardships as a result of COVID-19 and the provincial lockdown, but also to express disdain for mask usage, vaccines, the COVID-19 testing method, and compliance with the government and the enforcement of said closures. (Photo by Alejandro Melgar/SAIT)
  • Sarah Kent speaks at the Save Small Business rally taking place at Courthouse Park in downtown Calgary on April 11, 2021. Kent, along with her husband Peel Smith, operate New Dimensions Tattoos, with Smith as the owner. Kent is an intuitive quantum energy healer and consultant with her business, Chakra Time Wellness, and she speaks against AHS and their efforts to close businesses that disregard the closure recommendation by the government of Alberta. (Photo by Alejandro Melgar/SAIT)
  • Rocco Bartolotti, owner of Scarpetta Italian Eatery, speaks at the “Save Small Business” rally taking place at Courthouse Park in downtown Calgary on April 11, 2021. Bartolotti faced a closure and fines as a result of a failed Alberta Health Services (AHS) inspection. He received an eviction notice on June 9, 2021, and a Gofundme was set up to help pay for the legal fees, along with fighting the closure. Bartolotti adhered to COVID-19 mandates made by the Alberta government prior to a warning received in May, 2021, but after using his restaurant as a rallying point for protestors, and inviting speakers into his restaurant, his restaurant remains closed for the foreseeable future. (Photo by Alejandro Melgar/SAIT)
  • Ryan Audette, the organizer for Calgary Freedom Central, spoke at the “Save Small Business” rally taking place at Courthouse Park in downtown Calgary on April 11, 2021. Audette says that Calgary Freedom Central is different from the Walk for Freedom group in Calgary, and wants to inform people on the affect COVID-19 has had on businesses and people alike. In a Facebook post prior to the event, Audette says that people are to be kind and courteous to the media and anyone that is shooting photos, along with not bringing tiki torches or expressing any form of hatred. (Photo by Alejandro Melgar/SAIT)
  • Adele Sanoy speaks briefly about prizes for best costume and dance moves during the march at the ÒSave Small BusinessÓ rally taking place at Courthouse Park in downtown Calgary on April 11, 2021. Sanoy is a volunteer with Freedom4Canada, and she has played a large role in the rallies that have gone on with Calgary Freedom Central. People attended the rally/march as a sign of support for the businesses that are facing hardships as a result of COVID-19 and the provincial lockdown, but also to express disdain for mask usage, vaccines, and compliance with the government and the enforcement of said closures. (Photo by Alejandro Melgar/SAIT)
  • A man, amid a crowd, waves an Alberta and U.S. flag joined together while in attendance of the ÒSave Small BusinessÓ rally at Courthouse Park in downtown Calgary on April 11, 2021. A couple hundred people attended the event, hosted by Calgary Freedom Central, as a sign of support for the businesses that are facing hardships as a result of COVID-19 and the provincial lockdown, but also to express disdain for mask usage, vaccines, the COVID-19 testing method, and compliance with the government and the enforcement of said closures.(Photo by Alejandro Melgar/SAIT)
Save Small Business Rally, Calgary Alta.

Calgary Freedom Central host a rally and march to Save Small Businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic that has affected the entirety of the world.

Date

April 11, 2021

Category
Photography

Calgary Freedom Central, a freedom advocacy and anti-COVID-19 group, hosted a rally to bring awareness to small businesses that were suffering under the COVID-19 lockdowns in the city of Calgary, Alta.

They claim they are different than the Walk for Freedom group in Calgary, and they want to inform people on the affect COVID-19 has had on businesses and people alike. In a Facebook post prior to the event, Ryan Audette, the main organizer, says that people are to be kind and courteous to the media and anyone that is shooting photos, along with not bringing tiki torches or expressing any form of hatred.

With that said, they have defied public health orders put in place to protect those that are vulnerable to COVID-19, and encourage people to defy those orders, along with discrediting Alberta Health Services (AHS) and their recommendations pertaining to COVID-19.

While many businesses have closed, many others have flourished and adapted to the times, with more businesses opening in the Kensington area then businesses closed.