Kelowna man vows to walk to Ottawa for 'rights and freedoms'

Photo: Facebook

UPDATE: Tuesday 9:30 a.m.

A spokesman for a Kelowna man who plans to walk across Canada in support of veterans and other causes says some controversial posts on the walk's Facebook page have now been removed.

Posts on TheOld Man Facebook page in support of Warren Michael's cross-country walk that referred to ousting the federal Liberal government, patriotism, and "fighting back" against the "new normal" have either been edited or removed.

Campaign organizer Patrick King says in an email to Castanet that "the posts were not relevant to the message" and do not represent the campaign.

Despite Michael himself apparently making those posts, King added: "The misleading reporting and narrative can not be trusted by the media."

The walk purports to raise money for a broad swath of causes, including veterans, clean drinking water for First Nations, mental health issues, autism awareness, and cancer research.

ORIGINAL: Monday 3 p.m.

A Kelowna man on a mission took the first leg of a cross-country journey on Monday.

Warren Michael walked through snow and slush to his first stop in Vernon – all while carrying a large wooden cross on his shoulders.

His mission is to walk to Ottawa and send a message to government.

What exactly that is, remains a little fuzzy.

Along the way, he says he's raising money for veterans, clean drinking water for First Nations, mental health issues, autism awareness, and cancer research.

Various posts on his TheOld Man Facebook page refer to ousting the federal Liberal government, patriotism, and "fighting back" against the "new normal." There also appears to be an underlying current against pandemic safety orders.

The nine-foot cross he is carrying is said to weigh 60 pounds, and is emblazoned with the message: "Our veterans are not asking for more than I can give." On the other side, it reads: "Truth, liberty, rights & freedoms."

He made the trek Monday while wearing a support boot on his right foot because of an ankle injury.

"When I put my heart and soul into something, giving up is not an option.... Dog is off its chain now. There is no holding me back from what I need to do for my country," he wrote on Facebook.

He's being followed by support driver Chase D'angelo.

Referring again to veterans, Michael wrote: "They were ready to give their life for us and many have, our rights and freedoms are paid in blood. They don't get to get suspended, this is about right and wrong and I have the right to stand up for what I think is wrong even if that means standing alone.

"Let's remove the real virus from this country... We're taking our country back."

A GoFundMe campaign in conjunction with the walk had raised $1,505 toward a $100,000 goal as of Monday afternoon.