Appeal court rejects challenge by Coutts blockade leaders

Alberta’s Court of Appeal has upheld the convictions and sentences of Chris Carbert and Anthony Olienick, leaders of the COVID-19 border blockade at Coutts. The men had appealed, arguing the trial judge made irreconcilable errors.

Alberta’s Court of Appeal has upheld the convictions of Chris Carbert and Anthony Olienick, leaders of the COVID-19 border blockade at Coutts, Alta. In a written judgment, the province’s top court rejected their appeal arguments.

Carbert and Olienick were charged in 2022 and convicted by a jury in 2024. They received sentences of six-and-a-half years for mischief and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose.

The jury found both men not guilty of conspiring to kill RCMP officers. Their lawyers appealed the convictions and sentences, saying the trial judge had made irreconcilable errors.

The appeal court upheld the convictions despite those arguments. The report said further details were to come. The information was reported by Bill Graveland of The Canadian Press.

Based on reporting by CTV News Calgary.