'One side or the other': Coutts, Alta. still a village divided after convoy blockade
The sound of blaring horns that echoed through this village 10 months ago has been replaced by the steady hum of semi-trailer trucks filing through the border crossing between Alberta and the United States.
There is an undercurrent in the community of 250 people, belied by a smiley face on its water tower that suggests an ongoing division dating back to three weeks in late January, when a convoy of truckers and their supporters shut the border in protest of COVID-19 restrictions.
There was hope that time and community events over the year would provide healing.
Keith Dangerfield, who operates the Hills of Home Cafe/Bed and Breakfast with his wife, was an avid supporter of the convoy. His restaurant became a regular gathering spot.
"It's gotten worse. They don't come to our restaurant," said Dangerfield, gesturing at the mostly empty cafe behind him.
"There is a real hard line. I think the people who were in the middle of the road and had no decision, they've come down on the other side. It's one side or the other."
Betty Ostby has lived in Coutts her entire life and knows almost everyone there.
"It's not like that in the city," Ostby said.
"It's always been a friendly community. The biggest fight we had was with the government over losing our school."
Dangerfield said he doesn't have any solutions on how to mend the rift, but hopes with more time things will improve.
"Because people can't hate for that long," he said.
FAR FROM NORMAL
Mayor Jim Willett's home looks out on where the highway was blocked. He said things are far from normal.
"There's that undercurrent of 'you're on that side and I'm on this side' still. And the people who had their opinions about vaccinations and whether it's right or wrong ... they're still there and they still have the same views," he said.
Jim Willett
"Where I used to be able to walk down the street and wave to everybody and they'd wave back, now I don't get all the waves I used to get. I'm not going to go out of my way to corner them somewhere and say, 'What the hell's going on here?"
Willett, who has referred to some of the protesters as "domestic terrorists," joked he will be taking a month's vacation and leaving the country if there's a Convoy 2.0.
He said Coutts is a nice, small community with friendships and family relations that go back forever.
"We're doing what we can to make it better. If we could put a sign at the entrance (saying) 'check your politics here,' like they used to do with the guns at the old saloons, it would be a great place," Willett chuckled.
"Just forget about that stuff and let's get down to living our lives and enjoy what God has given us here."
A trial before a judge and jury has been scheduled for next year for four men charged with conspiracy to commit murder at the blockade.
Chris Carbert, Chris Lysak, Anthony Olienick and Jerry Morin were charged in February after RCMP found a cache of guns, body armour and ammunition in trailers. Police have alleged a group at the protest was willing to use force against officers if the blockade was disrupted and described the threat as “very serious.”
'WE HAVE TO STAND UP FOR OURSELVES, FOR OUR KIDS'
Marco Van Huigenbos — a town councillor in Fort Macleod, about 150 kilometres northwest of Coutts — was an organizer of the convoy and has been charged with mischief over $5,000.
In an interview with The Canadian Press, Van Huigenbos said he has zero regrets.
"There is no reward for standing up, but we have to stand up for ourselves, for our kids," he said.
Fort Macleod town councillor Marco Van Huigenbos
"It woke up the province, the country ... it gave people hope. Giving people hope is always worth it."
Van Huigenbos said he understands the protest may not have been supported by everyone in Coutts.
The director of the Prentice Institute for Global Population and Economy at the University of Lethbridge said memories are long in rural communities and it doesn't take much to expose the fragility of some relationships.
"Splits can happen within a community and you do see increasingly it's 'for or against, with us or against us.' It's very tough to recover from those kind of splits," said Lars Hallstrom, a political scientist with an expertise in rural issues.
Hallstrom said a solution would be for residents to accept each other's differences, but that can be difficult as people become firmly entrenched in their views.
"People tend to gravitate to and spend time with people they agree with and they continue to hear things they agree with and social media has this amplifying effect," said Hallstrom.
"There's a lot of tension even within families and we 'just don't talk about it' doesn't always fly anymore."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec.18, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Serial sexual offender linked to unsolved 1970s homicides of four Calgary girls, women
An investigation into unsolved historical homicides from the 1970s has linked the deaths of two girls and two young women in and around Calgary to a now-deceased serial offender.
Woman with liver failure rejected for a transplant after medical review highlights alcohol use
For nearly three months, Amanda Huska has been in an Ontario hospital, part of it on life support, because of severe liver failure. Her history of alcohol use is getting in the way of her only potential treatment: a liver transplant.
$500K-worth of elvers seized at Toronto airport
Fishery and border service officers seized more than 100 kilograms of unauthorized elvers at the Toronto Pearson International Airport on Wednesday.
Toronto eliminated from PWHL playoffs
Toronto has been eliminated from the PWHL playoffs.
Information commissioner faces $700K funding shortfall, says system is 'overwhelmed'
Canada's information commissioner says her office is facing a $700,000 funding shortfall that could impact its ability to investigate complaints about government transparency and accountability.
B.C. man 'attacked suddenly' by adult grizzly near Alberta boundary: RCMP
A B.C. man is recovering from multiple injuries after he was "attacked suddenly" by an adult grizzly bear near Elkford Thursday afternoon.
Backlash over NFL player Harrison Butker's commencement speech has reached a new level
The NFL is distancing itself from controversial comments by Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker during a recent commencement address.
Dabney Coleman, actor who specialized in curmudgeons, dies at 92
Dabney Coleman, the mustachioed character actor who specialized in smarmy villains like the chauvinist boss in '9 to 5' and the nasty TV director in 'Tootsie,' has died. He was 92.
Craig Berube named as next head coach of Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs have named Craig Berube as their new head coach.