Trial for Sask. dad accused of abducting child to avoid COVID-19 shot set to begin

The trial for Michael Gordon Jackson, the Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his child in 2021 to prevent them from receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, is set to begin in Regina on Monday.

The trial for Michael Gordon Jackson, the Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his child in 2021 to keep them from receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, is set to begin in Regina on Monday.

Jackson, 53, who was granted bail by a Regina Court of King’s Bench judge in February 2023, has been charged with abduction in contravention of a child custody order. Jackson was previously denied bail.

Jackson remained on the run for more than three months.

The ordeal first began in November of 2021 when the child’s mother accused Jackson of refusing to return them after an allotted visit.

The child, who was seven at the time, and Jackson, were not found until Feb. 24, 2022. RCMP located the pair inside a vehicle in Vernon, B.C. with Jackson wanted on a Canada-wide warrant at the time.

Court documents released in the spring of 2022 showed that between Nov. 10, 2021 and Feb. 22, 2022, the mother, who has full custody of the pair’s child, only spoke with them on the phone once on Nov. 21.

The child also did not attend school while they were with Jackson.