Murray Wood: What happened to basic manners?
At the risk of sounding old fashioned, Murray Wood is questioning the manners of some of the people he meets. He says pe...
By Shawn Mullin
Court began with a very different tone for the self-proclaimed “Queen of Canada” and her supporters on Wednesday afternoon in Swift Current.
Justice Karl Patrick Bazin ordered all of those who refused to stand when he entered the courtroom, including Romana Didulo, to leave the Swift Current Provincial Court.
Read more:
- ‘Queen of Canada’ demands release in Swift Current court
- LISTEN: Cult expert discusses social phenomenon around ‘Queen of Canada’
- Saskatchewan NDP wants review of government response to ‘Queen of Canada’ occupation
Didulo had to sit outside and wait for the remaining cases on the morning docket before being called back to set the dates for her preliminary inquiry.
They settled on March 2-5, 2026.
Didulo is charged with one count of failing to comply with an undertaking condition and one count of intimidation of a justice system participant.
Crown prosecutor Curtis Wiebe said he should only need one of the three days set aside for the preliminary hearing to present his evidence.
Didulo will return to Swift Current on November 5 to ensure she has all the available disclosures in place in order to continue representing herself in court.
In contrast to her first appearance, Didulo mostly nodded quietly and was agreeable when discussing the next steps in her proceedings.
Didulo also requested a loosening of the release conditions that have her confined to one address in Regina unless she’s granted an exception by a parole officer.
She called the curfew “unjust and unfair.”
Romana Didulo embraces supporters after her appearance in Swift Current. (Photo by Shawn Mullin)
Bazin instructed Didulo to contact her parole officer and the Crown to make her case on that matter.
Didulo, the leader of the “Kingdom of Canada” group that had occupied a decommissioned school in Richmound for two years, arrived at court flanked by several other vehicles full of supporters wearing white hats.
As the court session was set to begin, Didulo marched towards the desk set aside for defence attorneys before being instructed to wait her turn in the gallery.
Bazin then entered and requested that everyone remain standing.
He said rising when a judge enters to begin a courtroom session is a sign of respect to an independent judiciary.
“No one is above the law,” Bazin noted, as he thanked those who remained standing.
Bazin accused Didulo and her supporters, who remained seated, of attempting to discredit the proceedings. He said he would not tolerate disrespect and emphasized that the public has the right to be confident that the rule of law will be enforced fairly and impartially.
Bazin then told anyone still sitting who had business with the court to wait outside, and ordered all others to exit the premises immediately.
Only one later-arriving supporter was able to remain in the courtroom by the time Didulo’s turn came up. When her appearance was done, Didulo greeted her supporters at the sidewalk outside of the courthouse.
After a brief update on the day’s events, she hugged many of them in a circle around her and departed for Regina.
Some of her supporters jokingly referred to her next court date, November 5, being Guy Fawkes Day.
“Remember, remember the fifth of November,” supporters said, quoting a traditional English rhyme that commemorates the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot.
Ricky Manz, the owner of the former school in Richmound where Didulo and her group established themselves, has a next court appearance scheduled in Leader on Thursday.
The RCMP also announced new charges related to the September 3 raid at the old school.
Lise Beauchamp, 72, Melony Vanden Brink, 37, and Nancy Jancke, 63, of Richmound, were all charged with obstruction of a peace officer. Their next court appearance was set for November 20 in Leader.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority evicted everyone from the old school on September 5.
