Tiffany Crawford (Canwest News Service) – RCMP officers searching for those behind a series of pipeline bombings in northeastern British Columbia are harassing residents, says a lawyer who claims several of his clients are being unfairly targeted.
The harassment has included “accosting people at their places of work and yelling at them, or denouncing them loudly in public places as the bomber,” Vancouver lawyer Jason Gratl said Friday.
Gratl said he has three clients, and has been approached by a fourth, who say they’ve been interrogated too many times by police investigating attacks on EnCana Corp. pipelines in Dawson Creek, B.C.
Dawson Creek is about 600 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.
“They all have the same story,” said Gratl. “The RCMP are engaged in persistent contact with individuals, with intensity that amounts to harassment and intimidation.”
There have been six bomb attacks on EnCana pipelines in the region, dating back to October 2008, when an explosion ripped out a two-metre crater under a pipeline near the hamlet of Tomslake, B.C., about 30 kilometres south of Dawson Creek.
Some of the attacks have been close to populated areas around the Tomslake community, close to the B.C.-Alberta border, but no injuries have been reported.
The RCMP have yet to make any arrests.
Gratl said that, while the Mounties are within their rights to do polygraph tests and take DNA samples, their level of persistence has “crossed the line into intimidation,” which he says is the product of an exhausted investigative team.
Gratl also said RCMP members had visited the homes of elderly residents to place pressure on family members.
RCMP Cpl. Dan Moskaluk said residents of the community should direct any complaints of RCMP misconduct to either the local detachment in Prince George, B.C., or the regional headquarters in Vancouver. If residents don’t want to speak to the RCMP, he said they should direct their concerns to the Commission for the Complaints Against the RCMP in B.C.
“The RCMP is always concerned about any issues, in terms of complaints about the behaviour or conduct of the use of authority and accountability in any type of investigation,” he said. “With the seriousness of this investigation, of course, we do welcome any concerns.”
Gratl said his clients were also upset that their photographs were posted on the Internet describing them as subjects of the investigation. In December, investigators took the unusual step of setting up a website — dawsoncreekbombings.com — dedicated to catching whoever is responsible, which initially included photographs of people who police said were of interest to the case. The photographs were removed, after “a strongly worded letter” was sent to the RCMP, said Gratl.
“It’s clearly defamatory. The reality is, the RCMP never had any information linking the individuals to any bombing. It wasn’t even a case of mistaken identity.”
The RCMP have called the bombings “domestic terrorism,” and police say they are concerned someone might be injured or killed in an attack if they continue.
Dawson Creek Mayor Mike Bernier has urged members of the public to come forward, saying he’s convinced “somebody” in the region “knows something” that could lead police to the person or people responsible.
If people didn’t come forward originally with the first bombings you wonder why the national security enforcement team is getting heavy handed. It is trying to force people to talk since asking them to talk originally didn’t work. Secondly, if they have tips that they need to talk to someone and that person doesn’t talk to they you wonder why they continue to try and get the person to talk to them.
Lets be honest domestic terrorism needs to be stopped and while civil liberties should be maintained (everyone has the right to be free in this country). We need to allow the investigation to go forward.
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And with all that first hand knowledge, the BCCLA can accurately assess the events. Perhaps they should open a branch office in Dawson Creek, take some depositions under oath and then pronounce.
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Innocent Dawson Creek residents feel heat during bombing investigation
By John Bermingham, The Province
July 11, 2009
Police are stepping over the line in their hunt for the pipeline bomber, say Dawson Creek residents.
Residents have complained about being harassed by RCMP investigators. One man said he was openly accused in a local restaurant of being the bomber, while others complained of being interrogated up to eight times. They also say they’re being pressured to take lie detector tests and provide DNA and fingerprint samples.
Since last October, there have been six bomb explosions — including two this month — targeting EnCana’s natural gas wellhead in northeastern B.C. Despite a $500,000 reward, more than 250 investigators on the cases and 450 local people interviewed, there have been no public breaks in the investigation.
Wayne Hiebert, a rural director in Peace River country who represents the hamlet of Tomslake, said people in the farming and ranching community of 300 families have mixed feelings about the investigation.
“It’s very stressful for the people in Tomslake,” said Hiebert. “I have heard that people are being repeatedly questioned.
“The longer it goes on, the more difficult it gets for everyone.”
Dawson Creek Mayor Mike Bernier said he’s had a few complaints from residents, but he tells them the RCMP are just trying to do their jobs.
“When the bomber is finally caught, you will feel comfortable knowing that the RCMP did a very thorough and good job,” Bernier tells them.
Bernier said police are trying to find the bomber but haven’t had many tips.
“It’s kind of a Catch-22 situation,” he said. “It’s frustrating that with the amount of resources we’ve had limited leads, at least what’s being reported.
“There’s a lot of innocent people out there getting caught in the crossfire.”
Bernier said the officers keep a low profile in the city. They fly in, rent vehicles and stay in local hotels.
The head of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association said he’s concerned about the RCMP tactics.
“This is not the first time we’ve had complaints from people in Dawson Creek,” said David Eby. “These kinds of tactics are not the kind that’s going to build trust in the community.
Police have considerable legal powers to ask for information, he said.
“When police tactics cross the line from asking for that information, and actually intimidating people, you are talking about people’s rights to be free in Canadian society, that are protected by the Charter of Rights of Freedoms.”
RCMP spokesman Cpl. Mike Moskaluk said he’s not aware of any complaints, and suggested people with concerns contact the Mounties or the Commission for Public Complaints.
“We are not overstepping our boundaries or authorities in these matters,” said Moskaluk. “We do have to conduct ourselves in a professional manner.”
Moskaluk wouldn’t comment on the media reports, or the status of the investigation.