The RCMP’s “pipe bombs” were actually devices used in quarrying, according to testimony at the Coutts trial
Anthony Olienick and Chris Carbert are on trial for conspiracy to commit murder and firearms charges in relation to the Coutts Blockade into mid-February 2022.
In opening her case before a Lethbridge, Alta, jury on July 11, Olienick’s lawyer, Marilyn Burns, stated, “This is a political, criminal trial that is un-Canadian.” She told the jury, “You will be shocked, and at the very least, disappointed with how Canada’s own RCMP conducted themselves during and after the Coutts protest,” as she summarized officers’ testimony during the presentation of the Crown’s case.
Burns also contended that “the conduct of Alberta’s provincial government and Canada’s federal government are entwined with the RCMP.”
The arrests of the Coutts Four on the night of February 13 and noon hour of February 14, 2022, were key events in a decision by the Clerk of the Privy Council, Janice Charette, and the National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister, Jody Thomas, to advise Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to invoke the Emergencies Act.
In submitting his Public Order Emergency Commission Report to Parliament on February 17, 2023, Chief Justice Paul Rouleau also cited events at the Coutts Blockade as key to his conclusion that the government was justified in invoking the Emergencies Act.
Justice David Labrenz cautioned Burns about her language after Crown prosecutor Stephen Johnson objected to some terms she used in the opening statement. Further discussions about the appropriateness of Burns’ statements to the jury are under a publication ban, as they took place without the jury present.
Labrenz told the jury on July 12, “I would remind you that the presumption of innocence means that both (of) the accused are cloaked with that presumption unless the Crown proves beyond a reasonable doubt the essential elements of the charge(s).” He further clarified what the result should be if the jurors were uncertain about which narrative – the Crown’s or the accused lawyers’ – to believe. Labrenz stated that such ambivalence must lead to an acquittal, as uncertainty about which case to trust does not meet the “beyond a reasonable doubt” threshold for a conviction.
On July 15, 2024, a Lethbridge jury heard testimony from Brian Lambert, a former employer and business partner of Olienick’s. Lambert stated that Olienick was responsible for running his sandstone quarry and mining business. As part of the operation, Olienick used what Lambert referred to as “little firecrackers” to quarry and reduce the size of the sandstone. These devices help reduce the size of the stone to a manageable size for refining and repurposing for use in building construction and patio stones. Lambert explained that the length of the pipe “… depended on how big a hole or how large a piece of stone you were going to crack. The one I saw was about six inches long … maybe an inch in diameter.”
As one of the charges Olienick is facing is “unlawful possession of an explosive device for a dangerous purpose,” Lambert’s testimony offers a plausible explanation for the “firecrackers” the RCMP and the Crown referred to as “pipe bombs.” Lambert went on to say that these “firecrackers” have a firecracker fuse, and in the world of explosives, they are “no big deal.”
Olienick’s fellow accused, Chris Carbert, does not face the additional charge of unlawful possession of explosives for a dangerous purpose.
The trial began on June 6 and resumes on July 23.
Ray McGinnis is a Senior Fellow with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy who recently attended several days of testimony at the Coutts Two trial.
For interview requests, click here.
The opinions expressed by our columnists and contributors are theirs alone and do not inherently or expressly reflect the views of our publication.
© Troy Media
Troy Media is an editorial content provider to media outlets and its own hosted community news outlets across Canada.
