Two Alberta men sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison for Coutts protest

Two men have been sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison for their roles in blocking the Canada-United States border crossing at Coutts, Alta.

Anthony Olienick showed no emotion while Chris Carbert looked somber and folded his arms as the verdict was read in the Court of Queen’s Bench in Lethbridge, Alberta.

Neither will have to serve the full sentence because Judge David Labrenz gave them credit for nearly four years of time they have already spent in custody.

Both were convicted of misdemeanours and possession of a firearm endangering public order, while Olienick was additionally found guilty of possession of a pipe bomb.

A jury found them not guilty of the most serious charge they faced – conspiring to kill police officers during a lockdown.

A blockade at the border crossing halted traffic for two weeks in 2022 in protest against COVID-19 regulations and mandatory vaccinations.

Labrenz says that although the men believed their cause was just, they could not be allowed to pursue justice on their own.