LETHBRIDGE, Alta. — 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.