The second-degree murder trial for Gerald Stanley is expected to garner much attention when it gets underway Monday in Battleford.
Stanley, 56, is charged in the August 2016 death of 22-year-old Colten Boushie. Boushie was shot and killed on a farm near Biggar, Sask.
Jury selection is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Monday at the Alex Dillabough Centre in Battleford. The trial is scheduled to begin Tuesday and run for three weeks at Battleford Court of Queen’s Bench.
An additional room has been set up inside the courthouse to accommodate those who want to watch the trial through a livestream. Between that room and the court room, there is capacity for about 120 people — including Boushie’s and Stanley’s families, local and national media, and spectators — to attend.
The case has received national attention and has highlighted a racial divide in Saskatchewan. Comments on social media immediately after Boushie’s death prompted Premier Brad Wall to call on residents to “rise above intolerance.”
On Wednesday, he once again asked people to respond with “reason and care” and told reporters some social media comments posted after Boushie’s death were “dangerous.”
“Leadership at the federal and provincial level can continue to, and must continue to, encourage people to avoid that sort of thing,” Wall said. “This is going to be a difficult time for the province but I believe we’re up to the test.”
Stanley’s lawyer, Scott Spencer, issued a statement Friday that said Stanley will not be speaking with media and the trial is “not a referendum on racism.”
“Unfortunately, racial tensions existed in Saskatchewan, and across Canada, before the Boushie tragedy and they continue today,” part of the statement reads. “It will take a lot of time and effort to mitigate those tensions. It is dangerous to deny them, but it is perhaps equally dangerous to allege racism where it does not exist. Either way, race has nothing to do with the proper outcome of Gerry’s trial.”
Spencer also said he has concerns about some media coverage of the case but believes the jury will take a balanced approach allowing Stanley to receive a fair trial.
There have been calls from both sides for support at the court house. A post in a Facebook group called Farmers with Firearms is encouraging people to attend the trial in support of Stanley.
The Boushie family has also asked for supporters to attend the proceedings. Some of Stanley’s previous court appearances were heavily attended by Boushie supporters and included peaceful protests. RCMP put additional security in place at some appearances, and are expected to do so again during the trial — though Mounties won’t comment on their security plans for the trial.
“Regarding our security presence, the RCMP is responsible for the safety and security of all parties at and around the court house,” a Mountie spokesperson said in a news release.
“We take that responsibility seriously and, as with all our security operations, determine the level of our presence by conducting a thorough risk assessment and deploying resources accordingly. We continually evaluate and adjust our resource allocation based on the needs of the situation in order to ensure public safety.”
Seven-hundred-and-fifty summons were sent to potential jurors in Battleford, North Battleford and the surrounding community. Not all 750 people will be attending jury selection as some can be excluded from serving, including judges, lawyers and justice ministry employees, and some for other reasons such as financial hardship or illness.
The trial is scheduled to run from Jan. 29 to Feb. 15. CTV News will have continued coverage of the proceedings.
