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Two Alberta men sentenced for roles in 2022 Coutts border protest


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2:01
Sentencing begins for Coutts blockade leaders

A sentencing hearing began on Thursday for two men charged in the 2022 Coutts border blockade. Marco Van Huigenbos and Gerhard (George) Janzen were each found guilty of mischief over $5,000 last April. Jordan Prentice has the latest developments from the Lethbridge courthouse.



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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.

0:34
Coutts blockade: Jury finds protesters not guilty of conspiring to kill RCMP officers

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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