3 protesters convicted of mischief at Alberta blockade to be sentenced next year

A truck convoy of anti-COVID-19 vaccine mandate demonstrators block the highway at the busy U.S. border crossing in Coutts, Alta. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)

Three men convicted of helping lead and co-ordinate the border blockade at Coutts, Alta., in 2022 are to be sentenced next year.

In April, a jury found Alex Van Herk, Marco Van Huigenbos and Gerhard (George) Janzen guilty of one count each of mischief over $5,000.

The sentencing was originally scheduled for late September, but it has been rescheduled for Jan. 9 and 10 in Lethbridge Court of King's Bench to give Van Huigenbos time to find a new lawyer.

The three were charged for their roles in a blockade that tied up cross-border traffic between Canada and the United States at Coutts for two weeks in protest of COVID-19 rules and restrictions.

The Crown said the evidence showed the men were key players and became faces of the blockade.

The maximum sentence for public mischief over $5,000 is 10 years in prison.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.