https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/moncton-police-rcmp-covid-mask-protests-1.5874276
Top Moncton Mountie questioned on force's approach to anti-mask protests
Codiac Regional RCMP say officers observe, take 'measured' approach focusing on education
· CBC News · Posted: Jan 15, 2021 7:49 AM AT
Codiac Regional RCMP Supt. Tom Critchlow, shown in a file photo, says the force is taking a measured approach that focuses more on education but may issue tickets depending on the circumstances. (Shane Magee/CBC)
The top RCMP officer in the Moncton region was again questioned about why the force isn't ticketing anti-mask demonstrators apparently defying provincial emergency measures meant to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Irwin Lampert, a retired provincial court judge who sits on the Codiac Regional Policing Authority board, questioned the RCMP's approach to anti-mask rallies that have occurred in Moncton as recently as Sunday.
"If you heard the premier and the chief medical health officer [Thursday], they were almost begging for people to co-operate and wear masks to social distance and follow the rules," Lampert said during a policing authority board meeting Thursday evening.
"And here we have a group of maybe 20 to 40 people in front of City Hall making fun of the whole idea."
Under the orange recovery phase in effect provincewide, outdoor gatherings are limited to 25 people and masks are required outside when physical distancing can't be maintained.
He said businesses are being fined and closed for not following the rules, but RCMP officers are only watching the protests.
"I don't know why, at the very least, they're not being ticketed," Lampert said. "I don't think they should be able to stand there and make fun of the whole thing when people in the province are getting sick and dying."
Codiac Regional RCMP Supt. Tom Critchlow, the commanding officer of the detachment policing Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview, said officers observed the protest and have tried to educate protestors.
"It's a measured approach, trying to look at the bigger picture, ensuring that everybody's safety is first and foremost," Critchlow told the board that oversees Codiac RCMP.
He said ticketing isn't always the best method.
"I'm not saying that we won't. It's done on a case-by-case situation."
Public Health reported 23 new cases in New Brunswick on Thursday. There have been 12 deaths, and three patients are currently hospitalized.
Premier Blaine Higgs said at an afternoon news conference that the majority of New Brunswickers are following the rules, but "we still don't see the compliance we need to."
The premier warned that moving back to the red level "is indeed a possibility" if that doesn't change.
"That's
why the enforcement is going to ramp up and we're going to become a
whole lot more serious about people that are not following the rules,"
Higgs told CBC's Power and Politics on Thursday.
Critchlow said police need to respect protesters' rights but will ticket if necessary.
He said several of those who attended Sunday's protest have been ticketed in other circumstances for violations of the province's emergency measures order.
Critchlow wasn't able to offer more specific details Thursday evening.
RCMP in New Brunswick have previously declined to tell CBC how many tickets the force has issued in the province for COVID-19 violations.
About the Author
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/moncton-rcmp-officers-charged-1.5875142
RCMP destroying evidence... who is getting charged? shouldn't Lampert be slightly concerned?
. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/march-peaceful-black-lives-matter-anti-racism-moncton-1.5593486
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/rcmp-officers-obstruction-of-justice-1.5862212
RCMP accuses 3 of its officers of obstructing justice, destroying evidence
Charges laid in Moncton are related to officers' conduct during a 2019 operation, force says
CBC News · Posted: Jan 05, 2021 4:30 PM AT
A New Brunswick RCMP release says the three officers have been suspended with pay since Dec. 15, 2020. (CBC)
The New Brunswick RCMP has charged three of its own officers with obstruction of justice.
A news release by the RCMP says the charges were laid against Cpl. Mathieu Potvin, Const. Eric Pichette and Const. Graham Bourque in Moncton provincial court on Dec. 28.
According to court documents, the three officers allegedly "wilfully [attempted] to obstruct, pervert or defeat the course of justice, by destroying evidence during a criminal investigation" on May 15, 2019.
The release says the charges are related to the officers' conduct during a 2019 police operation.
The officers are scheduled to appear on March 15, and all three were suspended with pay on Dec. 15.
The RCMP's professional standards unit is conducting a separate investigation under the force's code of conduct.
CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/moncton-rcmp-mask-protestors-police-1.5878104
RCMP promise 'action' on anti-mask protesters in Moncton
Codiac Regional RCMP say they will act this week
· CBC News · Posted: Jan 19, 2021 8:00 AM AT
Codiac Regional RCMP Supt. Tom Critchlow says the force will take some kind of action this week regarding anti-mask protestors who violate the province's emergency measures order. (Kate Letterick/CBC News )
Codiac Regional RCMP say the force will take some kind of action regarding anti-mask protesters in Moncton who violate the province's emergency measures order.
Supt. Tom Critchlow, the commanding officer of Codiac RCMP, told Moncton councillors Monday police would act this week. He didn't offer specifics.
"This group obviously wants some type of showdown," Critchlow said.
"There's methods in how we deal with that. Rest assured, I will deal with that. We will deal with [it]. At this point, because of the current state that the province is morphing into, we will take action."
His comments followed questions last week and by councillors Monday about what the force is doing regarding the protesters who appear to flout rules meant to limit the spread of COVID-19.
A board member of the Codiac Regional Policing Authority, which oversees the force that polices Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview, last week questioned why tickets weren't handed out to those defying the rules.
RCMP officers observed the protests held on weekends outside Moncton city hall.
Under the orange recovery phase, outdoor gatherings are limited to 25 people and masks are required outside when physical distancing can't be maintained.
Critchlow told the police authority that the force is taking a "measured" approach, observing the protesters and trying to educate them about the rules.
His comments Monday suggested a change in approach.
Moncton deputy mayor Shawn Crossman said he understands people have a right to protest, but said he's anxious to see COVID-19 rules enforced.
"It's really frustrating," Crossman said of those violating rules.
Coun. Paulette Thériault also said she's not impressed by the protests.
She said more than two million deaths worldwide have been linked to COVID-19.
"To say that we shouldn't be concerned is beyond my comprehension," Thériault said.
"I don't think we can ever educate these people because I don't think they really want to hear what the realities are out there."
"But if we can find solutions so that at least we can protect our citizens, I think this is extremely important."
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/anti-mask-rally-covid-19-1.5886951
Charges laid after Moncton anti-mask rally
Codiac Regional RCMP had said ‘action’ would be taken against those violating COVID-19 rules
· CBC News · Posted: Jan 25, 2021 4:36 PM AT
An anti-mask protest took place in Moncton over the weekend, and at least five people were arrested. (Radio-Canada )
Charges have been laid against several people at an anti-mask protest held in Moncton on Sunday.
Codiac Regional RCMP arrested at least five people who appeared in Moncton provincial court Monday by phone from police holding cells.
The arrests followed Codiac Regional RCMP telling Moncton council last week that officers would take action regarding anti-mask protesters flouting provincial rules meant to limit the spread of COVID-19.
2 people face criminal charges
All five were issued tickets for alleged violations of New Brunswick's Emergency Measures Act. It's alleged they attended an outdoor gathering of more than five people while not wearing a mask.
Jonathan Rossiter, 29, of Nackawic, and Dawn Teakles, 49, of Moncton, face charges of assaulting police officers and obstructing police officers.
Crown prosecutor Remi Allard told provincial court Judge Lucie Mathurin he was objecting to their release from custody but wanted time to review their files in more detail.
Later in the day, he told the judge the Crown would consent to their release on various conditions, including staying away from Moncton City Hall, where protests have been held. They are scheduled to return to court to enter a plea on Feb. 22.
"We can no longer gather peacefully?" Teakles asked the judge Monday afternoon.
"I'm not here to give you a legal opinion," Mathurin said, telling her she'd have to consult with a lawyer.
Earlier in the day, Allard said he was seeking to have all five held pending bail hearings.
"At this point it is repetition of the offence," Allard said.
'This is false imprisonment'
Rossiter in a boisterous appearance told the judge he had a medical exemption that allows him not to wear a mask.
Others charged also alleged they have medical exemptions that allow them not to wear masks.
Rossiter, appearing by phone, yelled that he wasn't part of the protest and was only there filming.
"This is false imprisonment," Rossiter said.
After the judge outlined the ticket involving the alleged violation of the province's emergency order, Rossiter said "there is no emergency."
"Everything you just said is fraudulent, it's pathetic," he said, going on to say he would charge all of the police officers involved."
"Everything you're doing is illegal, you criminals," he said.
David West, 54, of Riverview, Nicholas DeAngelis, 34, of Bathurst, and Britney Green, 31, of Bathurst, were issued tickets for violations of the Emergency Measures Act.
Mathurin appeared skeptical when the Crown objected to their release earlier in the day.
"This is the 10th such occasion that the RCMP have dealt with her," Allard said of Green, noting she had also been ticketed by the Kennebecasis Regional Police Force on Saturday. The judge noted that would have involved travelling between two health zones, something that's discouraged under COVID-19 rules.
West, DeAngelis and Green remain in custody with a bail hearing scheduled for Thursday.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/anti-mask-protesters-court-bail-hearing-1.5891526
Two Moncton protesters released on bail, another sent for psychiatric evaluation
Three were arrested for allegedly violating the province's COVID-19 restrictions during protest
· CBC News · Posted: Jan 28, 2021 6:24 PM AT
Five people were arrested and held in custody. Four have been released,
with one person ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. (Guy LeBlanc/Radio-Canada)
Two people have been released on bail while a third has been sent for a psychiatric evaluation after being arrested for allegedly violating the province's COVID-19 restrictions during an anti-mask protest in Moncton on Sunday.
Bathurst residents Britney Green, 31, and Nicholas DeAngelis, 34, were among five arrested and charged at a protest at Moncton City Hall.
Crown prosecutor Maurice Blanchard argued Green should be held in custody pending trial based on repeated violations of the province's emergency measures imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"At some point, enough is enough," Blanchard said during Green's bail hearing, which wasn't subject to a publication ban.
Provincial court Judge Brigitte Volpé decided to release Green. Following that decision, the Crown decided not to oppose DeAngelis's release given the case was based on similar facts.
Volpé ordered a third person arrested, 54-year-old David West of Riverview, to undergo a 30-day psychiatric evaluation at the request of duty counsel Guillaume LeBlanc.
"I'm just not all there in the head right now," West told the court before the judge issued the order. West returns to court Feb. 25.
Green, West and DeAngelis were all scheduled to appear in court for bail hearings one after the other on Thursday afternoon.
All appeared by video conference, Green from the New Brunswick Women's Correctional Centre in Miramichi and the other two from the Southeast Regional Correctional Centre in Shediac.
New charges were laid against all three alleging they violated the Emergency Measures Act by failing to wear a mask in public spaces on several occasions.
Criminal charges laid
They also face criminal charges in connection with an alleged incident at the the Superstore on Main Street in Moncton on Dec. 31.
Those charges include causing a disturbance by screaming, interfering with lawful use of property, resisting police officers and obstructing police.
Blanchard told Volpé that Green had been warned about failing to wear a mask in December at Walmart, a Superstore in Moncton, No Frills in Shediac, the Champlain Place mall in Dieppe and a Superstore in Moncton.
"At some point, this has to stop," Blanchard said. "Ms. Green has shown right now she does not want to follow the rules."
Green testified during her bail hearing that she has a doctor's note exempting her from wearing a mask because of anxiety and claustrophobia.
Under cross-examination by Blanchard, she said the note was obtained through an online appointment with a doctor in Ontario.
Asked why she had a doctor in Ontario if she lives in New Brunswick, Green said she used an online form and "that's where this doctor is located." She said she found the doctor through an "online clinic."
Blanchard said the note exempts her from wearing a mask "if safe to do so."
In her decision, Volpé said she took the note into consideration when deciding to grant Green bail.
"This is bail hearing, not a trial," Volpé said. "So the rules of evidence are different, they're not the same. I do take this information into consideration for my decision today."
Several people were arrested and ticketed at the protest outside Moncton city hall. (Radio-Canada )
The judge said the Crown presented little information about Green's participation in the Moncton protest that led to her arrest.
"I have no information to permit me to evaluate the risk she may have posed that day," Volpé said.
An RCMP officer was present in the courtroom, but the Crown did not call on him to testify.
Had the judge denied bail, the province's Provincial Offences Procedure Act would have required a trial be set within eight days.
LeBlanc, the duty counsel lawyer, indicated that had that occurred, the defence would file a challenge alleging the short-time frame violates Green's charter rights by not allowing enough time to prepare an adequate defence.
Green and DeAngelis are scheduled to return to court March 10 to enter a plea on the charges they face.
Jonathan Rossiter, 29, of Nackawic, and Dawn Teakles, 49, of Moncton were also arrested and charged following the protest in Moncton on Sunday. Both were released on Monday and are scheduled to return to court Feb. 22.
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But all that aside, I do hope your momma is o.k.
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poor mama .. you must be upset 
sending you hugs 
. Wow, how dare I!
