Exploring Coutts Four Case on Trish Wood is Critical Podcast

Discussing issues around the coverage and handling of the Coutts Four arrests and legal proceedings

This week I had the privilege of participating in an episode of Trish Wood is Critical’s podcast to discuss the case of the Coutts Four. They are the four men — Anthony Olienick, Chris Carbert, Chris Lysak, and Jerry Morin — who were charged with conspiracy to murder police during the protest against government imposed COVID 19 mandates that occurred in the border town of Coutts Alberta in February of 2022.

The Coutts protest was an offshoot of the Freedom Convoy protest against government imposed COVID mandates that was occurring in Ottawa at the same time. All four men were denied bail and have been held in remand custody since their arrests in 2022. Morin and Lysak were finally released in February of 2024 after the Crown dropped the conspiracy charges against them and the two men plead guilty to much lesser charges that which would have likely only resulted in a fine or probation, yet they spent almost two years in jail, based on the serious charge of conspiracy to murder police, which the Crown dropped, one can only conclude, due to lack of evidence.

The trial for the remaining two men — Chris Carbert and Tony Olienick — on that conspiracy charge is currently underway in Lethbridge, Alberta. In her podcast Trish Wood — an awarding winning Canadian journalist — discusses the trial and the Coutts case with three citizen journalists who have been covering the case on their Subtack platforms: Roxanne Halverson on The Intrepid Viking and Gord Magill on Autonomous Truck(er)s and also on Newsweek) and Stevland Ambrose on X, as well other podcasts and discussion forums.

Roxanne Halverson, Gord Magill, and Stevland Ambrose

They, along with a very few others, such as Canadian writer and journalist Ray McGinnis, are providing far more in depth and truthful coverage on the case than the mainstream media. The same media who ignored the plight of these men who were incarcerated for over two years without bail and without going to trial, but they are now covering the trial of Carbert and Olienick with what can only be described as the same clear bias they had regarding the guilt of these men when they were initially arrested.

Also on her podcast Trish calls our Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, for pledging another $500 million dollars for the Ukraine war, while line ups at Canadian food banks continue to grow, as well as the mounting issues around the mental acuity of US President Joe Biden.