‘Back to being civil’: Coutts residents continue to heal one year after border blockade
The quiet streets of Coutts are a stark contrast to one year ago, when more than 100 vehicles blocked the highway in opposition to COVID-19 measures
For a few weeks late last January and early February, the world turned its eyes to Coutts, as the story drew widespread media coverage, even as it divided the community in two.
“As a result of the blockade, I think we did everything that we needed to do,” said Keith Dangerfield, owner of Hills and Home Café and Bed and Breakfast in Coutts. “We got the attention of the world and we put Coutts on the map.”
What started as a convoy of trucks to the Sweet Grass-Coutts border quickly turned into a prolonged blockade of an international port of entry.
Demonstrators against COVID-19 restrictions shut down cross-border travel for four days, stranding snowbirds, truckers and cattle liners in the U.S.A and Canada.
The group remained set up for 18 days in the village of 250 people causing a spilt in the tight-knit community.
“The problem with any protest is there are people who come down on one side or the other and people rarely stay in the middle,” Dangerfield said. “I think, what has happened over the past year is a lot of that dividing line has disappeared and we're back to being people.”
“I own a restaurant and we rely on customers, so we’ve all come back to being civil with each other,” he added.
CHARGED
On Feb. 14, 2022, RCMP charged 13 people with mischief and four with conspiracy to kill RCMP officers after seizing guns, body armour and high capacity magazines.
On the same day, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Measures Act to stop the protest at Coutts, Parliament Hill and Windsor, Ont.
As a result, the protesters in Coutts packed up and headed home, changing the mood across Alberta.
“I was an involved young man running a business, starting a family and here we are, not even a year later and my life has changed,” said Marco Van Huigenbos, a town councillor in Fort Macleod and participant in the Coutts blockade. “Not all for the worse, but it's been an interesting year to say the least.”
Demonstrators against COVID-19 restrictions shut down cross-border travel for four days stranding snowbirds, truckers and cattle liners in the U.S.A and Canada.
Van Huigenbos is charged with mischief over $5,000 related to the protests and currently awaiting trial.
RCMP allege he was a 'key participant' in the blockade, along with Alex Van Herk and Gerhard Janzen.
Despite the disruption caused to the economy, Van Huigenbos maintains the blockade needed to happen.
“We were in a dysfunctional society for quite some time being run,” Van Huigenbos told CTV. “Something had to be done and whether you agree with what happened at Coutts or not, Coutts shook things up. It woke a lot of people up.”
As protesters plan to gather in Coutts and elsewhere in southern Alberta on Saturday, residents in the village are trying to move on.
“There will still be a few who won’t move on,” Dangerfield said. “There is still some healing and I don’t think we'll ever get rid of all the things that have put us on one side or the other.”
To mark the one-year anniversary, a convoy is set to take place on Saturday. Participants will leave Lethbridge at 9:30 a.m., drive to Coutts, loop around and drive back to Lethbridge where a barbeque and speeches are being planned in the afternoon.
The streets of Coutts were quiet Friday, a year after the border blockade
The Lethbridge Police Service and RCMP are advising of possible traffic disruptions along 43 Street and Highway 4.
“Motorists can expect possible delays heading out of the city along Hwy. 4 starting at 8 a.m. Upon returning to Lethbridge, the convoy is expected to travel northbound on Howe Road/Range Road 211, turn westbound on the Jail Road, connect with northbound 43 Street and proceed westbound on 5 Avenue North ending the route along the 3200 block,” LPS said in a release. “Anyone with travel plans in those areas is advised to expect delays or consider taking alternate routes.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
BREAKING Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.
Vicious attack on a dog ends with charges for northern Ont. suspect
Police in Sault Ste. Marie charged a 22-year-old man with animal cruelty following an attack on a dog Thursday morning.
On federal budget, Macklem says 'fiscal track has not changed significantly'
Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem says Canada's fiscal position has 'not changed significantly' following the release of the federal government's budget.