Feb. 1, 2022 aerial view of highway at Coutts. (Photo Courtesy LethbridgeNewsNOW, RCMP)

By Canadian Press

Calgary pastor found guilty on two border blockade charges

May 2, 2023 | 2:49 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – A judge has found Calgary pastor Artur Pawlowski guilty of mischief for his role in protests against COVID-19 public health measures.

The protests at Coutts, Alta., blocked the province’s main border crossing into the U.S. for more than two weeks in early 2022.

Justice Gordon Krinke also found Pawlowski guilty of breaching a release order.

Pawlowski faces another charge under the Alberta Critical Infrastructure Defence Act of wilfully damaging or destroying essential infrastructure.

However, Krinke says he can’t rule on that charge because the defence has given notice of a constitutional challenge.

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Separately, several people were also charged after RCMP found a cache of guns, body armour and ammunition in three trailers during the blockade, with four men facing counts of conspiracy to commit murder.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 2, 2023.

The Canadian Press