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By 'Marc A. Schindler'
FLDS Colony In Canada Gets Attention Of Canadian Press
BOUNTIFUL, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA -- Men in this quiet BC community
in the Creston Valley aren't limited to just one mate. A 2-page
feature article on a fundamentalist colony in the "Crowsnest" region
of British Columbia, in the extreme SE corner of the province,
appeared in the Toronto Globe and Mail this past weekend.
Canadian law prohibits polygamy but local law enforcement tolerates
the colony. In 1992 the Royal Canadian Mounted Police gathered
evidence for a charge of violating Section 293 of the Criminal Code
(which prohibits bigamy) but the local Crown Attorney (like a
District Attorney in the US) felt that if pressed, the Crown might
not be able to defend Section 293 against a determined defence by the
colony, on the grounds of religious freedom. The province's
Attorney-general at that time agreed with him and it was decided not
to press charges: "Polygamy may be a social problem, said
Attorney-general Colin Gableman, "but it is not a criminal one."
The Creston Colony claims 700 members and was founded about 50 years
ago by the Fundamentalist LDS Church. But all is not well in Creston.
As with other Fundamentalist colonies in Utah, former members are
suing the Creston Colony's leaders over various types of abuse. The
article gives the history of polygamy in the LDS Church as well.
Source:
Bountiful's troubling tradition
Toronto Canada Globe and Mail 9Dec00 N5
By Estanislao Oziewicz
Men in this quiet B.C. community aren't limited to just one mate
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