COVID-19
Questions linger after Coutts verdict
Chris Carbert and Anthony Olienick Courtesy Bridge City News/YouTube
From the Frontier Centre for Public Policy
By Ray McGinnis
The Coutts trial may be over, but the questions it raises about justice and overreach continue.
A jury in the trial of Chris Carbert and Anthony “Tony” Olienick rendered a NOT GUILTY verdict on a charge of conspiracy to commit murder of police officers. Known as the Coutts Two, Carbert and Olienick’s trial lasted from June 6 to August 2, 2024. After two and a half days of deliberations, the jury also found the pair GUILTY of possession of weapons for a dangerous purpose, and mischief over $5,000. Olienick was also found GUILTY of possession of explosives for a dangerous purpose.
On February 13, 2022, Olienick was arrested outside Smuggler’s Saloon. Early on February 14, 2022, Chris Carbert was awakened from his sleep in a trailer by police loudspeaker.
Two Co-Accused Had All Charges Dropped in February
Conspiracy, possession of weapons, and mischief charges were also laid against Chris Lysak and Jerry Morin. Carbert, Olienick, Lysak and Morin, were dubbed the Coutts Four.
Lysak was arrested in Coutts late on February 13, 2022. Morin was arrested heading west of Calgary on Hwy. 22. He would work for a rancher near Priddis, a three-hour drive from Coutts. Lysak and Morin had all the original charges in the indictment dropped on Feb 6th, 2024.
Lysak pleaded to improper storage of a firearm. That charge typically results in a minor fine, not two years behind bars. Morin pled guilty to conspiracy to traffic firearms, not to trafficking firearms. Two years in custody — including solitary confinement and being witness to brutality between prisoners — had taken its toll.
Tony Olienick’s lawyer, Marilyn Burns, told this reporter, Morin was not guilty of the new charge to which he plead. But this was the plea deal the Crown would agree to. Morin and Lysak were released after 723 days behind bars.
Carbert and Olienick maintained their innocence. However, pre-trial deliberations in court dribbled out for over a year before the trial itself.
The Accused Were Unarmed
None of the original Coutts Four — Carbert, Olienick, Lysak or Morin — were armed when arrested. None had a criminal record. Three of the four are fathers with children. Before his arrest, Lethbridge resident Chris Carbert was a self-employed fisherman who also ran a landscaping and fencing business with nine employees.
Years before his arrest, Tony Olienick took part of the clean-up in High River, Alberta, after the 2013 floods. The self-employed gravel truck owner got contract work at a stone quarry.
Coutts Charges Cited to Invoke Emergencies Act
At the Public Order Emergency Commission inquiry in November 2022, several senior cabinet and government officials cited events in Coutts as one of the triggers for invoking the Emergencies [War Measures] Act on February 14, 2022. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland testified “we heard from the RCMP Commissioner about concerns that there were serious weapons in Coutts . . . that really raised the stakes in terms of my degree of concern about what could be happening.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated, “the occupation at Coutts seemed to be emboldened.”
Coutts Mayor, Jimmy Willett described the protesters as “Domestic Terrorists.” Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino testified “the situation was combustible… individuals… involved in Coutts were prepared to go down with a fight that could lead to the loss of life, . . . would have triggered other events across the country.”
The Clerk of the Privy Council, Janice Charette, pointed to the “seriousness” and “scale” of the “illegal activity,” “the quantity of weapons and ammunition discovered by the RCMP… contemplated by people at Coutts.” This confirmed her view that these people were insurrectionists, bent on “overthrowing the government.”
Yet, no bodycam footage and no recording entered as evidence in the trial substantiated claims by RCMP that Carbert or Olienick plotted violence against police. In January 2024, a federal court ruled the invocation of the Emergencies Act was “unconstitutional.” The August 2 not guilty verdict for conspiracy to commit murder adds to the perception of government overreaction to the protests.
A Surprise from the Crown
In its closing words to the jury, the Crown suddenly alleged there was a hand-off of weapons on February 11, 2022.
The Crown should provide full disclosure to the defence before the trial concludes so allegations can be tested in court. Never mind. This last-minute allegation may have swayed the jury to find the defendants guilty of the possession of firearms charge and Olienick of possession of an explosive device for a dangerous purpose.
Sentencing and bail hearings were scheduled from August 26 to 30. The week of September 9, the judge at the Coutts Two trial will hand down sentences for both of the accused given their combination of i) not guilty of conspiracy to commit murder verdict by the jury and ii) guilty verdicts for possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose and mischief, and for Olienick a separate guilty verdict for possession of an explosive for a dangerous purpose.
By then, the pair will have been in custody for 935 days.
This commentary is first of a three part series. Read part two here, and three here.
Ray McGinnis is a Senior Fellow with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy. His forthcoming book is Unjustified: The Emergencies Act and the Inquiry that Got It Wrong
COVID-19
Democracy Fund defending Ontario Amish community against quarter million dollars in COVID fines
From LifeSiteNews
The Democracy Fund (TDF) announced that it would represent members of the Amish community in Grey County, Ontario, to fight fines incurred for failing to follow COVID regulations, including using the once-mandated, scandal-ridden ArriveCAN app.
A pro-freedom legal group is defending an Amish community against COVID fines for allegedly breaking travel regulations.
In a September 18 press release, The Democracy Fund (TDF) announced that it would represent members of the Amish community in Grey County, Ontario, to fight fines incurred for failing to follow COVID regulations, including using the once-mandated, scandal-ridden ArriveCAN app.
“These are people who, due to their faith, do not use modern technology,” TDF senior litigation counsel Adam Blake-Gallipeau declared. “They travel by horse and buggy and are unfamiliar with operating a telephone, let alone an app on a present-day cell phone.”
TDF is defending seventy-four community members who were fined nearly $300,000 for failing to complete the ArriveCAN app, among other violations. During the COVID “pandemic,” the Trudeau government mandated that everyone leaving or entering Canada use the ArriveCAN app, which monitored and collected information from Canadians.
Since Amish communities do not use modern technology, they likewise did not use the ArriveCAN app. Additionally, TDF noted that many of the individuals were not properly notified about the tickets or trial dates and therefore did not attend their trials.
As a result, judges made convictions in their absence. The rulings included placing liens on their properties, “posing a severe threat to their community and livelihoods should the government force the sale of their lands.”
Amish communities survive almost solely off their land, through farming, gardening, and harvesting wood. The loss of their land would mean losing both their home and livelihood.
Therefore, TDF plans to file applications to reopen these convictions and hopefully to challenge the fines in court.
“We anticipate that this legal process may be lengthy, but with your support, TDF is committed to addressing and correcting this pandemic-related injustice,” TDF declared.
TDF’s announcement comes after the legal group offered free legal help for anyone with outstanding COVID-related fines.
Over the last couple of years, TDF has been active in helping Canadians persecuted under COVID mandates and rules fight back. Notable people it has helped include Dr. Kulvinder Kaur Gill, an Ontario pediatrician who has been embroiled in a legal battle with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) for her anti-COVID views. She has also had the help of Elon Musk.
It is worth noting that while the Amish may be using their religious beliefs as a defense against their refusal to use the ArriveCAN app, other legal experts have objected to the once-mandatory application on the grounds that it infringed on Canadians’ mobility rights and other rights to privacy.
From LifeSiteNews
Health Canada’s decision to approve the shots follows a bombshell study of Pfizer and Moderna COVID shots that shows “self-assembling nanostructures.”
Health Canada approved Moderna’s new MRNA COVID-19 vaccine for all Canadians over six months of age.
On September 17th, Moderna announced that its latest COVID-19 vaccine, targeting the KP.2 variant of SARS-COV-2, was approved by Health Canada, despite overwhelming evidence of the dangers of the shots.
“With vaccines ready, Moderna will begin delivery of updated doses to the Public Health Agency of Canada, ensuring supply is available in time for provincial and territorial vaccination campaigns,” the company said in a news release.
“Receiving the most recently updated COVID-19 vaccine is expected to provide a better immune response against circulating COVID-19 strains compared to earlier vaccines,” Moderna claimed. “It is especially important for those at increased risk for COVID-19 infection or severe COVID-19 illness.”
The promotion of the experimental shot comes over three years after government officially declared a COVID “pandemic” and forced Canadians to take the vaccine. Additionally, there has been no outbreak of COVID for several years.
Health Canada’s decision to approve the shots follows a bombshell study of Pfizer and Moderna COVID shots that shows “self-assembling nanostructures.”
According to the report, researchers in Korea observed what appear to be “self-assembling,” “synthetic” nanostructures such as spirals and tubes that form within the contents of the COVID Pfizer and Moderna mRNA shots over the course of months.
Canada’s promotion of the vaccine also comes as Canada’s program to compensate those injured by the COVID vaccines has reached $14 million, but the vast majority of claims remain unpaid.
Despite the need for a federal program to address those injured by the vaccines once mandated by the Trudeau government, Health Canada still says “it’s safe to receive a COVID-19 vaccine following infection with the virus that causes COVID-19. Vaccination is very important, even if you’ve had COVID-19.”
Interestingly, the claims of safety did not stop the Trudeau government from earmarking an extra $36 million for VISP in its 2024 budget.
The federal government is also continuing to purchase COVID jabs despite the fact the government’s own data shows that most Canadians are flat-out refusing a COVID booster injection.
Some people who were successful in getting payouts from VISP have said that the compensation awarded was insufficient considering the injuries sustained from the COVID shots.
As reported by LifeSiteNews last year, 42-year-old Ross Wightman of British Columbia launched a lawsuit against AstraZeneca, the federal government of Canada, the government of his province, and the pharmacy at which he was injected after receiving what he considers inadequate compensation from VISP.
He was one of the first citizens in Canada to receive federal financial compensation due to a COVID vaccine injury under VISP. Wightman received the AstraZeneca shot in April 2021 and shortly after became totally paralyzed. He was subsequently diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome.
Wightman was given a one-time payout of $250,00 and about $90,000 per year in income replacement but noted, as per a recent True North report, that he does not even know if those dollar amounts “would ease the pain.”
LifeSiteNews has published an extensive amount of research on the dangers of receiving the experimental COVID mRNA jabs, which include heart damage and blood clots.
The mRNA shots have also been linked to a multitude of negative and often severe side effects in children.
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