By Taylor MacPherson

Year in Review: Rural crime debate burns hot as Stanley trial approaches

Dec 29, 2017 | 11:00 AM

As 2017 draws to a close, paNOW is taking a look back on the most important and impactful stories of the year, selected by our reporters and editorial staff.

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The shooting of Colten Boushie in August of 2016 reignited one of the most divisive and hotly-debated topics in recent memory – Saskatchewan’s problem with rural crime. Although more than a year has passed since the 22-year-old was killed, Gerald Stanley’s upcoming murder trial and calls for better rural law-enforcement fanned the flames and kept the rural crime debate burning hot throughout 2017.

While some argued the shooting of the young Red Pheasant man was a callous act motivated only by racism, others claimed a lukewarm police response to rural crime forced farmers to take their safety into their own hands. Since the shooting, various community groups and government organizations have been established to try to address the issue and prevent more tragic deaths. With the shooter’s murder trial set to begin next month in Battleford, the often-heated debate shows no signs of losing steam.

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Almost immediately after the shooting on Aug. 9, 2016, racial tensions began to heat up across the province. Outgoing Premier Brad Wall took to social media in a public statement condemning the “racist and hate-filled comments on social media and other forums,” which began to pop up in droves as coverage of the shooting dominated provincial news.

“These comments are not only unacceptable, intolerant and a betrayal of the very values and character of Saskatchewan, they are dangerous,” Wall wrote. “None of us should be jumping to any conclusions about what happened. We should trust the RCMP to do their work.”

Despite calls from the premier to leave the matter to police, the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) passed a resolution at their March 14 convention calling on the association to lobby for expanded home, personal and property-defence rights. Although the resolution passed with 93 per cent in favour, the motion received widespread condemnation, particularly from the Boushie family and First Nations groups.

“What you’re asking the government of Canada to do is to weigh property rights versus a human life,” Chris Murphy, lawyer for the Boushie family, said. “That is not the law in Canada, it has never been the law in Canada, and it never should be the law in Canada.”

In an effort to do more about rural crime and quash the grassroots movements demanding expanded rights for property-owners, the province created a new entity specifically to improve police visibility and lower response times in rural areas. The Protection and Response Team (PRT) was formed in August, more than a year after Boushie was shot. The new team included police and RCMP officers, and gave expanded arrest and detention powers to Commercial Vehicle Enforcement and Conservation Officers.

Although the province said the PRT would improve police response times and enhance uniformed visibility, many communities continued to struggle with constant property crime and some began to take their own steps.

Vigilantes and watchful neighbours

Gord Wyant, Saskatchewan’s Justice Minister at the time, said the SARM resolution was unsurprising due to the palpable frustration among the province’s rural residents. Although the resolution did not come as a shock to him, Wyant cautioned residents not to take the law into their own hands and said the province was working with the RCMP to better address the issue.

Yet, even as Wyant spoke out against vigilantism, several loose-knit groups began forming online, seemingly intending to take on the issue of rural crime themselves. One such organization was a Facebook group fittingly called “Farmers With Firearms.” The group has nearly 6,000 members as of this writing, and their page warned the public that Saskatchewan farmers are well-armed and ready to respond with force if the RCMP response is not immediate.

While some groups seemed anxious to open fire and spouted rhetoric that bordered on militant, others preached a much calmer approach.

Several small rural crime watch groups popped up in 2017, aiming to work with law enforcement to tackle the issue as a community. Elaine McMillan, a Christopher Lake cabin owner who organized a crime watch group in the area, said the answer was as simple as looking out for each other.

“I think we’ve got to go back to the old days where neighbours look out for neighbours,” McMillan said. “With many more eyes, eventually I’m hoping this thievery will stop.”

McMillan’s rural crime watch has expanded greatly since their first meeting, and the RCMP-supported initiative now includes Christopher Lake, MacDowall, and the RMs of Buckland and Lakeland. A January meeting is planned in Meath Park, and other communities have also expressed interest.

Ironically, many thefts in the area where Boushie was shot were recently attributed to a Saskatchewan farmer. Iain Stables pleaded guilty this month to stealing vehicles and farm equipment from across the province, including from the Biggar area. For thefts totalling more than $1 million, he was sentenced to two years of house arrest and ordered to repay more than $100,000.

RCMP investigation criticized

While both the premier and justice minister urged the public to place their faith in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the RCMP came under strong criticism at several times throughout their investigation into Boushie’s shooting.

The young man’s family claimed the RCMP’s initial investigation was unnecessarily intensive. Boushie’s mother Debbie Baptiste said officers asked if she had been drinking and began searching her home without permission when they arrived. Baptiste also alleged an RCMP officer told her to “get yourself together” after she broke down weeping upon learning of her son’s death.

“They are not trusted by Indigenous people on the prairie,” Baptiste said in a joint statement released through FSIN. “How are we to trust the RCMP when they treat us like criminals when we are victims?”

An internal RCMP investigation found Baptiste’s allegations could not be supported, and the investigating officers were cleared of wrongdoing. The RCMP did not issue an apology for their investigators’ alleged conduct, but did apologize for the wording of a statement to media released soon after the shooting. Their media release made it sound like Boushie was a criminal, according to FSIN, and the RCMP promised to give better consideration to wording and tone in the future.

The national police force came under criticism again in October of last year, when they allegedly mishandled evidence in the case. According to the Boushie family’s lawyer, the 2003 Ford Escape which was carrying Boushie and his group at the time of the shooting was stored uncovered outdoors before police investigators performed blood-spatter analysis. The vehicle was then moved to an SGI salvage yard, where it was set to be auctioned off before police realized the mistake.

Murphy said the error could compromise the Crown’s case against Stanley. The chain of custody was broken, he said, which meant evidence from the SUV may not be admitted at the trial.

“It’s a tremendous problem for the investigation,” Murphy said. “And it’s a tremendous problem for the Boushie family.”

Stanley trial looms large

Gerald Stanley, 55, pleaded not guilty to a charge of second-degree murder and is currently out on bail while awaiting his trial. Stanley’s three-week jury trial begins Jan. 29 at Battleford’s Court of Queen’s Bench, and he is presumed innocent at this stage.

Despite their central role in the province-wide debate and upcoming trial, there have not yet been any definite answers as to whether Boushie’s group was involved in rural crime when the shooting occurred.

Police documentation suggests members of the group may have attempted to steal vehicles and other items from a neighbouring farm before arriving at Stanley’s property, though the RCMP later apologized for the wording of the statement. After the shooting, three surviving members of the group were taken into police custody in connection with “a related theft” but all three were later released without charges.

The young man’s family disputed the allegations, saying the group’s Ford Escape had a flat tire. According to the family Boushie’s group arrived at Stanley’s farm looking for nothing more than mechanical assistance. Eric Meechance, who was a passenger in the vehicle at the time of the shooting, also told reporters the group was on their way home when they stopped to seek help.

We may never know. Stanley’s trial is not meant to determine if Boushie was involved in rural crime. Boushie is not the one on trial – Stanley is. The young man’s intentions may come under scrutiny during the court proceedings, but solid answers are never a guarantee in a courtroom. The other big question in the case, whether Stanley was motivated by racism, may also remain unanswered, as Stanley has no obligation to testify.

Both questions could go completely ignored at the trial, depending on the defence’s strategy. If they claim the gun went off spontaneously, for example, the questions of motivation would not need to be explored in depth.

While the trial may not provide the answers the province has spent the last year looking for, the proceedings are sure to gather national attention and keep the fiery debate on rural crime burning well into 2018.

–With files from The Canadian Press and CKOM.

Taylor.macpherson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @TMacPhersonNews