Two Canadian men, Anthony Olienick and Chris Carbert, were both sentenced to 6.5 years in prison for mischief over $5000 and possession of a weapon for the purpose of committing an offence following their arrest during the Freedom Convoy blockade at the Coutts, Alberta border crossing in 2022. The two were previously acquitted on the most severe charge they faced, conspiring to murder a police officer, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
Olienick and Carbert were apprehended with live ammunition, a medical kit, and ballistic vests. Carbert claimed the weapons were for hunting coyotes. Justice David Labrenz dismissed this defense, stating, “The abundance of live ammunition, the medical kit, the ballistic vests are not supportive of showing off firearms or hunting coyotes. They are supportive of a war with police.”
Justice Labrenz also gave weight to the testimonies of an undercover Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer, who reported that Olienick referred to the blockade as “war” and talked about “slitting mounty throats” and “hanging” police officers. Olienick’s defense attorney, Marilyn Burns, argued that the RCMP employed flirtation, a method banned for evidence acquisition in Canada. However, Justice Labrenz concluded that heart emojis in text conversations, which were cited in this argument, can have various non-flirtatious meanings.
The arrest occurred after the RCMP issued a statement that the protest violated the Alberta Critical Infrastructure Act, specifically section 2(3) of the act, which criminalizes the willful obstruction, interruption, or interference with the use or operation of essential infrastructure.
This blockade was part of the larger Freedom Convoy protests, which involved the obstruction of multiple roadways and border crossings across Canada. The protests were in response to government actions regarding COVID-19, and the Canadian government has linked them to other illegal activities, noting significant disruptions to local businesses and national traffic flow.
More details can be found in the original report by Jurist.