Charges Stayed Against Mother for Coutts Freedom Convoy Involvement

A truck adorned with Canadian and American flags is shown at the blockade at Coutts, Alta., on Feb. 2, 2022. The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh

An Alberta court has stayed charges against a young mother in connection with her presence at the 2022 Coutts Freedom Convoy protests.

Ursula Allred waited for 37 weeks for the court decision after being charged with mischief and other offences, according to The Democracy Fund (TDF).

TDF lawyers said the charges were stayed after they submitted a Jordan application, arguing that Allred’s right to trial within a reasonable time had been violated.

TDF said after “extensive negotiations” and preparations for a two-week trial, lawyers secured the stay of charges and the return of Allred’s phone, which had been seized by police in 2022 and held throughout the legal process.

Senior litigation counsel Adam Blake-Gallipeau called the court’s decision “a significant victory for justice.”

Commenting through TDF, Allred said she was “relieved to have this weight lifted.”

TDF has represented others charged in connection with the Coutts protest, including the “Coutts Three,” who were convicted of mischief over $5,000 in April 2024. Two of the men were sentenced in January, TDF said. Gerhard (George) Janzen received a three-month community-based term that includes 100 hours of community service, while Marco Van Huigenbos was sentenced to 120 days in jail.

The third man, Alex Van Herk, received a 90-day conditional sentence requiring him to complete 100 hours of community service with one year of probation.

Coutts Charges Lead to Jail Time

TDF also represented James Edward Sowery, who received a 10-month jail sentence in January 2024 for charges related to the Coutts protest.

Sowery was found guilty of assault with a weapon and dangerous operation of a vehicle after an incident with an RCMP officer at the protest site.

In a social media video posted before the sentencing, Sowery said he was arrested for “running over a pylon” at a police checkstop on Feb. 14, 2022, while he was leaving the protest for the day.

The court heard that Sowery accelerated towards the check stop in his hydrovac truck, travelling at 80 kilometres per hour and nearly hitting Const. Cory Kornicki.

Sowery pulled his truck over and was arrested at the scene.

A jury found him guilty in March 2023. In addition to his jail sentence he had his licence suspended for a year.

The Canadian Press contributed to this article.