Alberta court upholds conviction of two Coutts blockade leaders
Chris Carbert and Anthony Olienick will serve six-and-a-half year sentences after Alberta Court of Appeal dismissed their appeals Thursday.
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The Alberta Court of Appeal dismissed appeals from Chris Carbert and Anthony Olienick Thursday, upholding their convictions from the 2022 Coutts border blockade. Both will serve six-and-a-half years in prison.
Carbert and Olienick were convicted in 2024 of mischief over $5,000 and possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose. Olienick was also convicted of possessing a pipe bomb. Both were acquitted of conspiring to kill RCMP officers. The two had been out on bail awaiting the appeal outcome.
Their appeals sought to overturn the convictions or reduce the sentences. The trial judge had found errors in admitting wiretap evidence. However, the Alberta Court of Appeal panel stated that evidence from the search of the Coutts property would be admitted regardless of those errors.
Carbert's defence lawyer Katherin Beyak argued the search warrant was unlawfully issued, calling the search a "ruse." The appeal panel rejected that argument.
The blockade occurred in January and February 2022, when protesters used vehicles and farm equipment to block traffic at the Canada-U.S. border crossing near Coutts. The action was mounted in response to COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates. RCMP seized a stash of weapons and ammunition from trailers at the blockade site. Carbert and Olienick faced the most serious charges among dozens arrested during the incident.
The facts
What charges were Chris Carbert and Anthony Olienick convicted of?
Both were convicted of mischief over $5,000 and possession of a weapon for dangerous purpose. Olienick was also convicted of possessing a pipe bomb. Both were acquitted of conspiring to kill RCMP officers.
How long will Carbert and Olienick serve in prison?
Both will serve six-and-a-half years in prison after the Alberta Court of Appeal upheld their convictions on Thursday, October 1, 2026.
When did the Coutts border blockade occur?
The blockade occurred in January and February 2022 at the Canada-U.S. border crossing near Coutts, when protesters used vehicles and farm equipment to block traffic in response to COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates.
