https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/author/bill-graveland-1.4315642
Bill Graveland
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Trio found guilty of mischief for roles in 2022 Coutts border blockade
Jurors deliberated for three hours
Three men accused by the Crown of helping lead and coordinate the COVID-19 protest blockade at Coutts, Alta., in 2022 have been found guilty of mischief.
Jurors deliberated for three hours Tuesday night before finding Alex Van Herk, Marco Van Huigenbos, and Gerhard (George) Janzen guilty of one count each of mischief over $5,000.
Gasps of surprise were heard in a courtroom packed with supporters of the trio when the verdict was announced.
The three were on trial in Court of King's Bench for their roles in a blockade that tied up cross-border traffic between Canada and the United States at Coutts for two weeks in early 2022 in protest of COVID-19 rules and restrictions.
Court of King's Bench Justice Keith Yamauchi warned the packed courtroom before the six man, six woman jury came back with their verdict.
"While this court understands the vested interest of those assembled this court will not allow those interests to interfere with the jury rendering its verdict without interruption or interjection," he said.
"Anyone who cannot abide by or agree with that rule should now leave the courtroom."
The three men were comforted by about three dozen people outside the court.
Van Huigenbos and Janzen embraced.
"Let's hope they put us in the same spot," Van Huigenbos said.
Van Herk said he was initially optimistic due to the short time the jury deliberated.
"It was quite shocking right? And it's like wow. You get that pit in your stomach but you know what, I have no answer to that. The jury decided and I'll accept it," Van Herk said.
Van Herk said he's proud of participating in Coutts and holding politicians accountable.
Anti-COVID-19
vaccine mandate demonstrators gather as a truck convoy blocks the
highway at the busy U.S. border crossing in Coutts, Alberta, Canada,
Monday, Jan. 31, 2022. (Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press via AP)
"If that's what it takes, that we can show politicians what is right, and we'll do whatever sentence that is. I'd do it again tomorrow."
The maximum sentence for public mischief over $5,000 is 10 years in prison.
Van Huigenbos said he wasn't surprised at the jury's verdict.
"Honestly there's no surprise here for me. Based on the charge, based on the interpretation of the law. We're guilty," he told reporters.
"It was much more than just 18 days on a highway in the middle of nowhere. We shook and threatened the pinnacle of power in this province. Coutts was the flame that the grassroots rallied around and turned into a fire."
Neither Van Huigenbos nor Van Herk intend to appeal their convictions.
Jail time is a concern for Van Huigenbos.
"I'm human. I worry more about how it will affect my kids, my wife. It'll affect me less. They're the ones that will have to deal with this."
A pre-sentence report has been ordered for all three men. The case is scheduled to appear again July 22 before a sentencing hearing can be scheduled.
Earlier Tuesday, in closing arguments to the jury, Crown prosecutor Steven Johnston said jurors only needed to find the three were active participants in the blockade to return a guilty verdict.
"The right to protest does not let you lay siege to property for two weeks. It was not their highway to close," Johnston told the jury.
"One act, one statement of encouragement can be enough to convict.
"The Crown does not have to prove these men were the leaders."
The Crown said the evidence showed the accused were key players and became faces of the blockade and the three spoke on behalf of protesters.
"They are not some mere messengers. They use the words, `We, our and us"', Johnston said.
Defence lawyers didn't call evidence during the trial, and the accused did not testify.
However, in cross-examining witnesses, the defence argued the trio was not guilty because the demonstration involved numerous strong-willed protesters who didn't always publicly agree and sometimes went their separate ways.
In his closing argument, defence lawyer Ryan Durran told jurors his client, Van Huigenbos, was not a leader but was turned into a messenger by the RCMP.
"Marco becomes like a switchboard operator connecting calls," said Durran.
"Marco was there to convey a message. He stumbled into a role where he was a spokesman. Marco gave the RCMP the news of the day."
Lawyer Michael Johnston, representing Van Herk, said his client tried unsuccessfully on two occasions to convince the protesters to leave and was concerned about breaking federal laws.
"Not everyone at the protest is guilty of a crime," Johnston said.
"(Van Herk) wasn't anyone of influence in anybody's mind."
Janzen's lawyer, Alan Honner, said his client was always willing to help other protesters sort out their problems as well as work with the RCMP.
"This is the real George Janzen. He helps because that is who he is," said Honner.
During the trial officers testified that as the protest dragged on, leadership coalesced around the three accused, and RCMP increasingly turned to them to negotiate
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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/coutts-trial-blockade-resumes-1.7231137
Undercover officer testifies at murder-conspiracy trial around Coutts blockade
It was the second day the jury heard evidence
An undercover police officer who infiltrated the Coutts, Alta., border blockade in 2022 says Anthony Olienick told her he was committed to the cause and vowed if police interfered, force would be met with force.
"He said this is war and why he is willing to give his life. This is ground zero," the officer testified in court Tuesday at the trial of Olienick and Chris Carbert.
"[He said] if the RCMP comes into Coutts with force, they will be met with greater force. It was really intense."
Olienick and Carbert are on trial charged with conspiring to murder police officers at the blockade.
The blockade of trucks and other vehicles was one of several protests across the country against COVID-19 rules, restrictions and vaccine mandates. It paralyzed traffic at the Canada-U.S. border in southern Alberta for two weeks and became a symbol of the polarized national debate on public health and the handling of the pandemic.
The undercover officer can't be publicly named and was referred to in court as HQ1298. Extraordinary steps were taken Tuesday to protect her safety. Media and the public were not allowed to watch her testify before the jury, but were allowed to listen in from a different room.
The officer told the trial she has worked undercover for two decades in projects across the country but mainly in Saskatchewan and Alberta.
At the Coutts blockade, she said, she and a male undercover colleague posed as a couple, handing out food and helping with kitchen duties.
She said she met Olienick at Smuggler's Saloon, a local bar that became an unofficial headquarters for protesters.
Olienick introduced himself as part of the security team and the head of social media, said the officer.
"He said he had been there since Day 1 and he had sold his house and his vehicles so he could be part of the revolution," the officer testified.
"He also said that if the RCMP would come into Coutts to try and overrun them, they would be met with resistance.
"He also told me that they had stockpiled hundreds of guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition and had the ability to outfit every man in Smuggler's."
The officer said she didn't outwardly react.
"In terms of obviously talking about individuals that are my colleagues, it's quite alarming."
Earlier in her testimony, the officer detailed the rules and training for undercover officers.
She said the job is surveillance and interdiction, and seduction is not a tool of the trade.
"You're not allowed to use your sexuality or have anyone else use their sexuality at all during the course of the investigation. It's a non-issue," she said.
"We shut them down right away.
"We'll quite often use [stories that we have] boyfriends or will be same-sex oriented — something that will take that off the table, so that it never really enters into the equation."
Olienick and Carbert were arrested after Mounties found a cache of guns, body armour and ammunition in trailers in the area.
They are also charged with mischief and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. Olienick faces a further charge of being in possession of a pipe bomb.
It was the second day the jury heard evidence. After opening arguments on Thursday, the trial was bogged down in legal arguments that can't be immediately reported because of a publication ban.
"Don't speculate about the reasons for the delay," Justice David Labrenz told the jury. "There's good reason for it."
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