Coutts murder-conspiracy trial to begin – Winnipeg Free Press

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Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…

Trial to begin for men charged with conspiracy to commit murder at Coutts blockade

A jury is to start hearing evidence today in the trial of two men charged with conspiracy to commit murder during the border protest at Coutts, Alta. Anthony Olienick and Chris Carbert were arrested after RCMP found a cache of guns and ammunition in trailers in the tiny border community in February 2022. The two accused, who have been in custody since they were arrested, are also charged with mischief and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. They are to officially enter pleas before the Crown gives an opening statement.

A truck convoy of anti-COVID-19 vaccine mandate demonstrators block the highway at the busy U.S. border crossing in Coutts, Alta., Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022. A jury is to start hearing evidence today in the trial of two men charged with conspiracy to commit murder during the border protest at Coutts, Alta.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

B.C. veteran, 99, to get France’s highest honour

A British Columbia Second World War veteran who landed at Normandy on D-Day 80 years ago will be presented with France’s highest decoration in a ceremony in Vancouver today. Joseph Vogelgesang, who is 99 years old, went to France along with 14,000 other Canadians, in what would be the start of the liberation of Western Europe. Vogelgesang will be decorated as a Knight of the Legion of Honour to acknowledge his contribution and bravery in the liberation of France.

RCMP review response to James Smith massacre

RCMP are to release today an internal review into how officers handled the manhunt for a mass killer on a Saskatchewan First Nation. Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore, commanding officer of the RCMP in Saskatchewan, ordered the review about a week after officers captured Myles Sanderson. Sanderson killed 11 people and wounded 17 others on the James Smith Cree Nation and in the nearby village of Weldon on Sept. 4, 2022. Three days later, officers arrested him after a chase on a rural road near the town of Rosthern. He died soon after of a cocaine overdose while in custody.

Interference bill needs more thorough look: groups

Ten civil society organizations are warning that the unusually swift parliamentary study of a bill to counter foreign interference could result in flawed laws that violate people’s rights. In a letter today to MPs on the House of Commons national security committee, the groups express “deep concerns” that MPs plan to soon wrap up hearings on Bill C-70 after only about a week. The committee could begin clause-by-clause consideration of the legislation early next week. The bill tabled in the House early last month includes a host of measures to deter, investigate and punish foreign interference.