A sentencing hearing is set to start today for three men convicted of helping co-ordinate a blockade at the Canada-U.S. border at Coutts, Alta., in protest of COVID-19 rules and restrictions.
Alex Van Herk, Marco Van Huigenbos and Gerhard (George) Janzen were each found guilty in April of mischief over $5,000.
They were charged for their roles in the blockade that tied up cross-border traffic for two weeks in early 2022.
Defence lawyers didn’t call evidence during the trial, and the three accused didn’t testify.
Mounties told the jury that, as the protest dragged on, officers increasingly turned to the men to negotiate….