Two Alberta men sentenced for roles in 2022 Coutts border protest
Marco Van Huigenbos, centre, waits in line as he arrives at court for a sentencing hearing in Lethbridge, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. Two men who became the faces of a COVID-19 protest blockade at a key border crossing between Alberta and the United States nearly three years ago will learn their fates Friday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Two Alberta men have been sentenced for their roles in the illegal Coutts border blockade in 2022.
Marco Van Huigenbos was sentenced to four months in jail and Gerhard (George) Janzen received a three-month sentence to be served in the community
Neither accused showed emotion as Justice Keith Yamauchi delivered the sentence in Court of Kings' Bench in Lethbridge.
The pair were convicted of mischief over $5,000 for their part in the blockade, which tied up cross-border traffic with the United States for two weeks to protest COVID rules and vaccine mandates.
The judge said the illegal blockade affected the lives of many Canadians and the sentence must reflect a denunciation of such actions.
Sentencing for a third defendant, Alex Van Herk, has been delayed because he fired his lawyer and is looking for new legal representation.
More to come...
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