The Alberta Court of Appeal has refused to allow former justice minister Jonathan Denis to suspend a contempt conviction until an appeal is heard in the case.
On April 13, the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench sought Jonathan Denis in contempt of court for attempting to intimidate physician Anny Sauvageau who was suing the province for false dismissal while Jonathan Denis was minister.
In his verdict released on Monday, Judge Ritu Khullar mentioned that the criteria had not yet been met for suspending the verdict. According to the judge, Jonathan Denis did not prove that this suspension was necessary to prevent irreparable harm to him.
While it may be the plaintiff’s preference for some reason, such as convenience or practicality, to prevent a trial court from imposing a penalty while an appeal is pending, the court can only grant stay when the legal conditions for doing so is addressed..
For the reasons below, the request for suspension was denied, he says.
Source: Radio-Canada