Truck blockade at Coutts - Photo supplied by Jake Zackarias

By LNN Staff

Alberta’s acting Justice Minister says Coutts blockade has crossed the line

Feb 8, 2022 | 6:45 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB. — Acting Justice Minister and Solicitor Sonya Savage and RCMP Deputy Commissioner Curtis Zablocki held a press conference addressing the blockade near the Coutts border crossing.

“We believe the Coutts blockade has crossed this line.”

Savage spoke first saying the border crossing continues to be of concern to Albertans. “Alberta’s government will always stand up for people’s fundamental democratic right to protest.”

Savage continues saying that the rights have reasonable limits. “When protesters threaten public safety… or prevent Albertans from accessing vital infrastructure, then they open themselves up to potential action from law enforcement.”

The Coutts blockade has been in place for nearly two weeks.

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(block) “Whatever action law enforcement may take is at their independent discretion”

The RCMP is on site working with local law enforcement to maintain public safety however Savage says the blockade has gone too far, “We believe the Coutts blockade has crossed this line. It has severely inconvenienced lawful motorists, prevented commercial goods from reaching their destination, and it has the potential to impede emergency vehicles from reaching people in need of aid.”

Savage says the participants of the blockade need to recognize the protest is no longer peaceful, respect the rule of law, and comply with any action taken by law enforcement.

She stated “Whatever action law enforcement may take is at their independent discretion. I trust the authorities to lay appropriate charges wherever the evidence provides reasonable grounds for doing so.”

NDP Critic for Justice Irfan Sabir has responded to Savage’s statement saying “Like many Albertans, I’m shocked that after 11 days of an illegal blockade on a crucial economic corridor, Minister Savage still hasn’t taken any action or shared a plan to end this unlawful blockade. She has no answers for Albertans about why the UCP has allowed this lawlessness to continue.”

RCMP Deputy commissioner Curtis Zablocki also spoke at the conference saying the RCMP has been taking consistent action and have brought down the number of trucks blocking the border from around 200 to 50.

The RCMP has been unable to obtain the neccessary equipment to remove vehicles from the area “Moving vehicles like these require special equipment and operators… we actively engage towing companies to assist… unfortunately they were unwilling to become involved when it was implied that helping law enforcement with removal might damage their livelihoods into the future.”

You can watch the entire conference on the Alberta Government youtube page: