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EDMONTON – The Canadian Constitution Foundation (CCF) has written to Alberta Health Services (AHS) demanding it immediately rescind a province-wide trespass notice that bars independent journalist Mocha Bezirgan from every AHS facility until March 2027.

The ban stems from an incident at Beaver Lodge Municipal Hospital on March 25, 2026. Bezirgan entered the hospital to report on a matter of public interest and asked to speak with a doctor. After being told the doctor did not wish to comment, he left the building and waited outside to speak with the doctor after his shift, a common journalistic practice.

The AHS then issued a province-wide trespass notice prohibiting Bezirgan from entering any AHS facility for one year.

In the letter to AHS, CCF Counsel Alexander Surgenor says the province-wide ban violates both the journalist’s freedom of expression and the public’s right to receive information about public institutions.

“Journalists play a vital role in informing Canadians about the operation of public institutions, and government agencies cannot sidestep the Charter by issuing sweeping trespass notices without considering Canadians’ constitutional rights,” said Surgenor.

The CCF is calling on AHS to immediately reverse the ban and ensure journalists can continue carrying out their work without unjustified government interference.