Charges laid after ‘confrontation’ at Co-op refinery

Tensions arising from the labour dispute at the Co-op Refinery Complex have resulted in charges against four men and tickets to other individuals who encircled the Regina Police Service headquarters.

In a media release Tuesday, police say they got a call Thursday at about 6:30 p.m., reporting Ninth Avenue North near the refinery was blocked by vehicles. By about 8 p.m., the road had been cleared, but other vehicles remained parked near one of the refinery’s gates.

Officers approached and, according to the media release, determined that “some sort of confrontation had occurred.” One man had minor scrapes.

WARNING: The video below contains offensive language.

The police eventually started an investigation that led to the arrests of four men Monday. It isn’t known if the video shows the incident that resulted in the charges.

Kristopher James Atkinson, 41, of Emerald Park was charged with two counts of common assault, while 29-year-old James John Mohns and 50-year-old Ward Robert Johnson, both of Regina, are facing one charge of common assault.

Regina resident Joseph William Dulong, 37, was charged with mischief under $5,000.

All four were released and are to appear in court July 20.

While the men were being processed at RPS headquarters, what the police termed “a continuous procession of vehicles” circled the Osler Street building in an apparent protest.

After initially allowing the procession to continue, officers eventually started writing tickets when the vehicles made entering and exiting the compound difficult.

“As a public safety agency, it is imperative that we have timely access and egress to our headquarters building,” Supt. Lorilee Davies, the officer in charge of the Community Services Division (Patrol), said in a video the police posted on Twitter.

“When that was compromised, we were forced to respond. When public safety is compromised, we must respond and which side the protesters are on or represent isn’t a consideration.”

Officers issued 11 tickets to individuals for participating in an illegal procession and one ticket under the Traffic Safety Act for an unsafe turn from the wrong lane.

Police said the procession broke up at about 4 p.m., but a similar one began on Ninth Avenue North about an hour later.

After receiving public complaints and amid concerns about access for emergency vehicles, police blocked the road until the vehicles dispersed. Seven more tickets were handed out at that occasion.

Unionized employees have been locked out at the refinery since Dec. 5.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The charges against Atkinson, Mohns, Johnson and Dulong were withdrawn Nov. 23, 2021, after the men completed alternative measures.