Mayor hopes self-proclaimed ‘Queen of Canada’ will leave Richmound for good

Some in the Village of Richmound are still on edge as the self-proclaimed “Queen of Canada” and her followers come and go from the community.

Romana Didulo, a conspiracy theorist who’s declared herself the country’s queen, has been staying at an unused school in Richmound along with a group of loyal followers since September, after they were kicked out of Kamsack.

The RCMP set up a temporary detachment in the community, where threatening letters and an assault charge have been connected to Didulo’s following. The community has also held protests opposing Didulo’s presence in the tiny village in southwestern Saskatchewan.

Brad Miller, Richmound’s mayor, said he thought the group had left the area last week, but they ended up staying at a nearby farm.

“On Wednesday when they picked up and left, we thought they were leaving for good because they were pointed east, but they went north,” said Miller.

“It felt like about two bricks taken off (my chest), and then when I found out they were just seven miles out of town, one brick went back on the chest.”

Residents of Richmound protested the presence of QAnon figure Romana Didulo, who set up camp in an abandoned school building. (drsarteschi/X)

Miller said Didulo and her followers returned to the school briefly on Monday before apparently leaving again.

The group’s flag was flying at the school on Monday, Miller noted.

Miller suggested Didulo and her followers might have left the area after the village learned her group was using a propane heater to heat the inside of the school, which he said is against fire regulations.

The mayor said Richmound’s fire chief, a building inspector and a bylaw officer visited the school for a routine inspection.

“(The group) wouldn’t let them in, and about half an hour after that, that’s when they started scattering and getting everything ready to go out to that farm,” the mayor said.

“When she feels unsafe, she’s like the queen bee and then the little working bees try to protect her and they pick up and leave.”

The self-proclaimed “Queen of Canada” has set up shop in Richmound, much to the chagrin of the Saskatchewan village’s mayor. (Village of Richmound/Facebook)

Miller said some in the community don’t feel like they can let their guard down yet, even if the group has moved from the school to the farm.

“Right now, we’ve won the battle, but we have to win the war. They’re still in the Richmound RM yet, so we have to push them further,” he said.

“It would be great if we could get them right out of Saskatchewan and keep them going.”

Miller said he hopes the village can enact stricter bylaws so future situations like this one can be prevented, and said he has reached out to the provincial government for support. Part of the issue, he explained, is that the group has permission from the owner of the school to use the building.

“We’re working on something right now, and in the long run, it’s still privately owned and we’ll just have to make stronger bylaw,” he said.

“I think we’d have a solid case for (preventing) something like this from happening again. We’ve got to do something.”

He said he hopes the group leaves the village and doesn’t come back.