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Alberta Health Services explores legal options after hundreds attend rodeo

Rodeo was billed as an anti-lockdown event in a province with more than 22,000 active COVID-19 cases

Sarah Rieger · CBC News · Posted: May 02, 2021 7:33 PM MT | Last Updated: May 3

Alberta Health Services says it is exploring its legal options after hundreds attended a rodeo in central Alberta — held to protest COVID-19 restrictions. But some have questioned how the event was allowed to proceed in the first place.

Over the weekend as Alberta reported thousands of new COVID-19 cases, reaching dire numbers not seen earlier in the pandemic, hundreds attended a rodeo in an empty lot along Highway 2A, near Bowden, about 30 kilometres south of Red Deer.

The rodeo was billed as an anti-lockdown event, despite the fact Alberta has not experienced a strict lockdown during the pandemic. In-store retail is permitted, while dine-in service is closed restaurant patios remain open and outdoor gatherings are allowed for groups numbering less than 10.

Alberta's hospital system is bracing for a massive surge of patients and some regions have scaled back surgeries to prepare. ... The province currently has the highest active case rate in either Canada or the U.S., and the current active COVID-19 case total stands at 22,920, its highest ever.

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The organizers behind this weekend's rodeo say they plan to hold another event on Canada Day.

With files from Erin Collins and the Canadian Press