The self-proclaimed “Queen of Canada” was granted bail Monday morning and ordered to stay in Regina until her trial.
Romana Didulo, who appeared in court in Swift Current, Sask., was given several conditions. Violating any of them would land the 50-year-old cult leader back in jail.
Her conditions include staying away from Richmound, Sask., the village where her cult has lived for the past two years, not having any contact with several specific people including Ricky Manz, who owns the former school where the cult was living, and not possessing weapons.
Didulo elected to go with a trial by jury, with a preliminary inquiry. She is scheduled to appear in court next on Sept. 17.
A dozen supporters in white hats showed up to greet Didulo on Monday morning as she returned to court in Swift Current, Sask., for a bail hearing after spending the weekend in custody.
“For the team, secure the royal puppies and the funds, you know who to get ahold of,” Didulo said as she stood to face the media.
“You know they have no jurisdiction.… Zero.”
Heading into Swift Current Provincial Court in Saskatchewan Monday morning, Romana Didulo, who calls herself the ‘Queen of Canada,’ told her followers, who were standing outside in support, to “secure the royal puppies and the funds,” and announced she will be seeking a jury trial. She faces two charges after a raid on the cult’s compound Wednesday and is representing herself.
‘Now we move on’: mayor
Richmound Mayor Brad Miller said the arrests of Didulo and her supporter Ricky Manz are good news for the village of about 120 people, located 365 kilometres west of Regina.
“That brick has been taken off our chest,” he said. “Each and every one of us.”
Miller said kids will finally be able to play at the park near the old school again and everyone will have “big smiles on their faces.”
Now, he hopes everyone can get together at the local hall, including people from neighbouring towns who have shown “so much support.”
Miller said city council has had many encounters with the cult leaders over the last two years.
He said Manz would often come into their office, “raising his voice and trying to disrupt us and saying that he doesn’t have to pay taxes.”
Miller said council eventually hired a municipal lawyer to try to come up with ways to push the cult out of its compound – including cutting off electricity and water.
“If you do something wrong, that keeps adding up,” Miller said. “The water at one time would have cost $14,000 to cut off.”
Miller said he felt he was “running out of ideas” when he decided to cut off the sewage connected to the former schools for $2,200 last October.
“The $2,200 hurt, but in the end, I think that was our saviour,” he said.
Miller said he thinks the community will finally get some closure. He said he is hopeful that Didulo’s supporters will follow her to Regina.
“Now we move on and we grow,” said Miller.
Court process could last over a year: Crown prosecutor
“Of course, we were looking that she would be detained,” Crown prosecutor Curtis Wiebe told reporters after Didulo’s bail hearing Monday morning. “But part of our concern was her willingness or unwillingness to abide by conditions and I think that was fairly addressed by the court.”
Wiebe acknowledged that Didulo considers herself a sovereign citizen, which can pose a challenge when it comes to being certain she will follow court ordered conditions.
Wiebe said while he can’t predict what “a person will do,” he trusts Didulo will abide by the court’s orders.
“We spent quite a bit of time going over those conditions,” said Wiebe. “Certainly our concern was that she knew what the conditions are and that she’d be willing to abide by those conditions.”
He said the Crown takes any case where there is an allegation of anyone interfering with the court process, or the process involving alleged victims or witnesses, seriously.
A publication ban on details from the hearing was put in place by the court Monday morning. Wiebe said when somebody is tried by jury, there is a concern that facts from the bail hearing could influence potential jurors.
Wiebe said the whole court process could take up to a year and a half.
He said the Crown will look at the case over the next couple of weeks and give the court an indication as to how much time may be necessary.
16 people arrested
Didulo was remanded on Friday after making her first appearance in provincial court in Swift Current on charges of failing to comply with an undertaking and intimidating a justice system participant.
Prior to her arrest, she had been living with members of the cult in a decommissioned school in Richmound. Manz, who owns the former school, was arrested last week on the same charges.
The condition of the undertaking they are both alleged to have breached is that they were not supposed to contact each other.
The intimidation charge stems from a July investigation in Richmound, RCMP have said. Information discussed during court Friday indicated the charge is allegedly related to intimidating four people, including a police officer.
Didulo and Manz were two of 16 people who were arrested by RCMP following the Wednesday raid. Everyone was released without charges, then Didulo and Manz were rearrested and charged.
Since the cult set up base in Richmound there have been complaints from locals, who accuse the group of harassing people and plotting to take over the town.
RCMP said they raided the cult’s compound last week after receiving a report that one of its occupants had a firearm. Police said they seized 13 imitation semi-automatic handguns, ammunition and a large number of electronic devices.
Order to vacate building
The Saskatchewan Health Authority has now deemed the former school unfit for habitation. The health authority posted an order to vacate Friday, after it found the building was not connected to a municipal sewage system.
A social media post on Friday included photos of what appeared to be the health authority’s order posted on fencing around the building.
In an email to CBC on Friday, the Saskatchewan Health Authority confirmed the order, saying it had “gathered sufficient evidence regarding health concerns and compliance issues … to determine there is a risk to public health safety,” and that the building was deemed “unfit for human occupation.”
As a result, the health authority issued an eviction order for anyone still occupying the building, the email said.
RCMP said at least three other people are expected to be charged in the investigation.
Front Burner‘Queen of Canada’ cult leader arrested
On Wednesday, 16 people — including Romana Didulo, the cult leader known as the “Queen of Canada” — were arrested in the tiny Saskatchewan village of Richmound. RCMP released them the following day, but then re-arrested two unidentified individuals.
Didulo and her followers have been holed up in a decommissioned school there for two years. Their presence has been a source of ire for many locals, and ratcheted up divisions between the townspeople.
Today: What happens when a cult comes to town — especially in a time of such intense societal polarization?
Our guest is Rachel Browne, an investigative journalist and documentary maker who is currently working on a podcast for CBC about the impact that the “Queen of Canada” has had on this tiny village.
For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts [https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts]
www.cbc.ca (Article Sourced Website)
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