REGINA -- Four people are facing criminal charges after “enforcement action” by the Regina Police Service at the Co-op Refinery.
RPS members arrested and charged four men at around 12:42 a.m. Wednesday morning for “mischief and disobeying order of court."
Ryan James David Briggs, 41, James Peter Robert Cheeseman, 30, Scott McKinnon, 34 and Steve Angus Vargo, 45, were arrested and charged. All of the accused are local residents.
Mischief under $5,000 is described as “commit mischief by willfully obstructing, interrupting or interfering with the lawful use, enjoyment or operation of property, to wit: Co-op Refinery Complex of a value not exceeding five thousand dollars, the property of Consumers Co-operative Refineries Limited.”
Disobeying order of court is described as “without lawful excuse disobey a lawful court order by the Court of Queen’s Bench for the Province of Saskatchewan on the 27th day of December, 2019, by Justice J.E. McMurtry by impeding, obstructing, or interfering with the ingress or egress to or from the property possessed by the Consumers Co-operative Refineries.”
“For Regina Police to side with the employer and arrest lawful, peaceful picketers is a disgrace and shows the unjust obstacles workers face simply to protect what they already have,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor National President in a news release.
Police service members continue to issue tickets to vehicles parked on private property near the refinery.
They will appear in court on March 23.
