The sentencing hearing for three Coastal GasLink pipeline opponents gets underway tomorrow (Oct. 15) in Smithers.

Sleydo' (Molly Wickham), Shaylynn Sampson, and Corey “Jayohcee” Jocko, were arrested in November 2021 for defying a B.C. Supreme Court injunction by blocking access to a Coastal GasLink worksite near Houston.

In January 2024, Justice Michael Tammen found the three guilty of criminal contempt. In a subsequent abuse of process application, Tammen found the RCMP had violated the defendants' constitutional rights by using excessive force and using racist epithets during the arrest.

Nevertheless, he said the violation did not meet the threshold for voiding the charges and instead said he would consider reduced sentences.

"The ruling validates both the experiences of these land d

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