Council passes agreement with CUPE 882 following debate about conflict of interest

Jason Kerr
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Council passes agreement with CUPE 882 following debate about conflict of interest

The City of Prince Albert’s new agreement with municipal inside workers passed quickly at Monday’s council meeting, although there was some debate about the vote itself.

The vote on Item 11.14 began with Coun. Terra Lennox-Zepp telling council she was not declaring a conflict of interest, and would be voting on the agreement. That declaration led to Mayor Greg Dionne calling for a two-minute sidebar with City Clerk Sherry Person.

After the sidebar, Dionne told council the City had received independent legal advice that Lennox-Zepp was in a conflict of interest. Lennox-Zepp, however, said she had received her own legal advice, and was confident she could vote.

“The Cities Act Section 114 lays out our requirements and as conflict of interest, if there are any favourable interests, opportunity for interest for myself or a family member, and so I am intending on the basis of my legal advice to stay on this file,” she told council. “However, of course, as an ongoing basis, we all have an obligation to assess each vote individually if we are indeed in a conflict of interest.”

Lennox-Zepp’s husband, Craig Thebaud, is listed as a staff advisor for Region 2 of the Prince Albert CUPE Area Office on the CUPE Healthcare Workers Local 5430 web page. Thebaud has been assigned to work with CUPE 882 in the past, but Lennox-Zepp said he is not currently a member of the CUPE team negotiating with the City of Prince Albert.

Coun. Terra Lennox-Zepp reads a motion on screen during a Prince Albert budget meeting — Daily Herald file photo.

“When my spouse is an active member on the file, then I have been and continue to do so properly recuse myself,” she said.

Mayor Greg Dionne said Lennox-Zepp needs to be prepared for the consequences of her actions.

“All I can say is govern yourself accordingly, and prepare for the action,” he said during Monday’s meeting.

Municipal councillors are required to disclose a conflict of interest under The Cities Act Section 114. They must disclose their interest every time the matter is brought before council. If absent, they must disclose the issue at the next council meeting.

Legislation prevents councillors in a conflict of interest of voting on the issue, or participating in discussions, whether they be formal or informal.

According to Saskatchewan’s Ombudsman, councillors who fail to disclose a conflict of interest must resign from council and are not eligible to be nominated or elected to any municipal council for 12 years.

Council members have a personal responsibility to decide whether they are in a conflict of interest, according to the Ombudsman.

Moskaluke brings ‘Winter Wonderland’ to Prince Albert

Jason Kerr
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Moskaluke brings ‘Winter Wonderland’ to Prince Albert

Few Saskatchewan musicians have accomplished as much as Jess Moskaluke over the past year.

The Juno Award-winning country music star released two albums, won two Saskatchewan Music Awards, and is in the middle of her latest tour, Winter Wonderland, which stops in Prince Albert on Wednesday.

 It’s made for a busy 12 months, but Moskaluke wouldn’t have it any other way.

“It’s been great, but that’s also kind of what touring in Canada looks like,” said Moskaluke during a phone call from Alberta, where she was performing before travelling east for gigs in North Battleford and Prince Albert. “There’s not a lot of time off and a lot of that time off is spent travelling to the next show.

“Luckily touring for the last 10 years has kind of prepared me for this, but I will say it’s a little bit different when you’re the headliner. I’ve been really cautious about my voice and my health, and that has luckily been good so far, knock on wood.”

Moskaluke released her most recent album, ‘Heartbreaker’, in September. The title track reached number 10 on the Canada country charts when it was released in May, and earned her the Singe of the Year award at the Saskatchewan Music Awards on Dec. 2.

Moskaluke was also named Country Music Artist of the Year, but couldn’t accept the award in person because she was performing in Regina the same night.

“It was really bittersweet, because I would have loved to be able to share that with the rest of my music peers in Saskatchewan,” she said. “It was still really, really awesome news and felt really good, just an extra little boost in the middle of tour, which was really nice.”

Moskaluke co-wrote ‘Heartbreaker’ with Emily Shackelton and Corey Crowder. She wanted to write about the challenges of being in a relationship with someone who’s still working through troubles created by their last one.

She also coming off her most recent tour, and wanted to write something a bit simpler to sing.

“I realized just how challenging every single one of my songs are, vocally, especially when we’re trying to carve out some vocal moments to breathe and shine in that way,” Moskaluke said. “I thought, ‘gosh, I don’t have a single song in my set that’s “easy to sing” so heartbreaker, believe it or not, was actually written to be that song that still drives and that people are still excited to hear … but is a little bit of active recovery for me vocally.”

Moskaluke’s Prince Albert performance will focus on songs from Christmas in a Small Town, the Christmas Album she released two years ago. She started thinking about doing a Christmas Tour after she released the album this year with two new songs, ‘Counting Down to Christmas’, an original she wrote herself, and White Christmas, one of her favourite traditional Christmas tunes.

“It (Counting Down to Christmas) is about the anticipation of waiting for Christmas,” Moskaluke said. “I think whether you’re a child or an adult, that exists. It just looks a little bit different when you’re an adult and I thought it was something I hadn’t really heard talked about in Christmas music quite yet.”

Moskaluke said she’s always enjoyed Christmas, especially Christmas music. She’s hoping that joy will rub off on people who attend her show in Prince Albert.

“It (Christmas music) just always seems to hit home,” she said.

“It’s been a lot of fun, and it’s been so nice to visually be able to see everyone getting into the Christmas spirit. It’s awesome, and hopefully we can do more of these in the future.”

Jess Moskaluke performs at the E.A. Rawlinson Centre on Thursday, Dec. 14. Showtime is 7:30 p.m.

‘Just because it’s not snow, doesn’t mean it’s not cold’: YWCA grateful for $25,000 cold weather shelter donation

Jason Kerr
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‘Just because it’s not snow, doesn’t mean it’s not cold’: YWCA grateful for $25,000 cold weather shelter donation

The Prince Albert YWCA’s efforts to provide emergency shelter received a big boost on Dec. 1 thanks to a $25,000 donation from the Malcolm J. Jenkins Family Foundation.

The funds will go towards its cold weather housing programming. The YWCA currently operates more than a dozen locations across the city that provide emergency shelter, medium-term shelter, and addictions and mental health housing.

“We were just over the moon,” YWCA Fund Development Officer David Hambleton said when asked about the donation. “The jaw drops. Malcolm has been a big supporter for many, many charity organizations, good causes, and just positive things for our community. His support has always been deeply appreciated by the YWCA, and it goes a long way to help us provide the best service and supports that we can for the vulnerable community members, especially the homeless, at this time of year.”

November and December have been abnormally warm by Prince Albert standards, but Hambleton said that doesn’t mean emergency cold weather shelter isn’t needed. He said the rain Prince Albert received earlier in the month can be just as deadly for homeless residents as -20 C temperatures.

“Just because it’s not snow doesn’t mean it’s not cold,” Hambleton explained. “For the homeless out there, … it might as well be -20 C if you’re soaking wet and outside. Even slightly frigid temperatures are very, very cold with the rain, so that doesn’t really decrease the demand at our homeless shelters during these months. We are fortunate to have slightly warmer temperatures, but the homeless people still don’t have anywhere to go at night.”

The YWCA has increased capacity at its cold weather shelter by 30 per cent this year. That means they’ll have up to 45 spots available a night, but Hambleton said they’ll still struggle to meet the need.

Stepping Stones Shelter received enough funding to operate 24 hours a day this winter. Previously, guests were asked to leave by 8 a.m.

“The homeless situation in Prince Albert, unfortunately, is not decreasing,” he said. “The numbers have gone up, and in the past few years they’ve gone up quite a bit.

“We’re really happy to have a little bit of additional funding to try to tackle what’s kind of becoming an epidemic in our community,” he added.

Philanthropist Malcolm Jenkins said he’s hoping the $25,000 donation will spur other prominent residents to chip in and help Prince Albert’s homeless population. Even in Prince Albert has benefited from warmer temperatures, he said, that won’t last all winter. When temperatures drop, vulnerable residents will need a place to go.

“Winter’s coming up, and there are folks who aren’t going to be tucked away in a nice 4 C or 8 C (room) or whatever,” Jenkins said. “People are going to have a tough winter without cover. I always feel that we can do whatever we can to help those who are less fortunate than ourselves.

“I’m going to do it, so I just always try to make a little bit of noise to beat the drum a bit so other people are aware of it. They’ll maybe think it through the same way and realize that they should chip in a bit and we can make it bigger than it would if it was just me.”

Anyone who wishes to donate to the YWCA can visit www.ywcaprincealbert.ca/donate.

Chop, chop, timber: National Park encourages residents to pick the perfect Christmas tree at annual harvest

Jason Kerr
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Chop, chop, timber: National Park encourages residents to pick the perfect Christmas tree at annual harvest

Families searching for the perfect Christmas tree still have a chance to find it, while also helping reduce the forest fire risk at Prince Albert National Park.

The park will host their eighth annual Christmas Tree Harvest until Dec. 23. The harvest allows residents to visit the Waskesiu Community Fuel Break area where they can cut down a Christmas tree of their choice, free of charge.

Prince Albert National Park ecologist Dusty Guedo said they issue an average of 150-200 tree harvest permits every year, but they’re hoping to increase that number in 2023.

“The weather has been really nice (and) the snow has been low,” Guedor said during a phone interview on Monday. “We know that Christmas trees are a little harder to come by this year, so we’re really encouraging people to come up and experience the park in the winter time at this point, to come out and get themselves a tree.”

Park officials first created the Waskesiu Community Fuel Break area in the early 2000s. Their goal was to remove really flammable trees like White Spruce, Jack Pine, and Balsam Fir while leaving a buffer of broadleaf trees like aspen and birch, which don’t burn as easily.

In recent years, Guedo said, park officials noticed many of the pine trees were at exactly the right height to serve as Christmas trees. They stared encouraging residents to drive out and cut down their own.

Guedo and his family have harvested a tree every year. He said it’s a great opportunity to get outdoors with his three kids.

“I really engage with them, (and) make sure this is the tree that they want,” he said. “I cut it down, and that’s our tree for the holidays.

“We’re encouraging families to come to the park, look around the park, have a really nice day of it, and go out and cut themselves the Christmas tree,” Guedo added. “In doing so, they get a really nice Christmas tree for themselves, and they’re also helping the park maintain this fuel break around the town site for fire management.”

The summer of 2023 was one of the busiest in Canadian wildfire history. Guedo said members of the park’s fire management program were dispatched to the Northwest Territories, which saw record temperatures combined with severe drought through the summer and fall.

The territory declared a state of emergency on Aug. 15. At the time, they had reported 265 wildfires, will above the 10-year average of 185.

Guedo said the park has a strong, experienced fire management crew, and they’re taking the possibility of another busy wildfire season very seriously.

“The fact that we’re in an El Nino situation and knowing that conditions may be dry in the spring is something we take very seriously,” he said. “We’re always on the forefront of making sure we have our firefighter staff experienced and staffed up and doing things like maintaining our fuel break, making sure our firefighters are staffed and well-trained, and just making sure that we’re ready for anything that comes.”

Resident planning on cutting down a Christmas tree from the fuel break area should visit the Prince Albert National Park visitor centre to receive a permit. Visitor centre staff will be on hand to answer any questions and direct visitors to the parts of the fuel break that need thinning out.

Residents can cut down the tree free of charge.

LDAS prepares free breakfast for Prince Albert homeless

Jason Kerr
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LDAS prepares free breakfast for Prince Albert homeless

After a successful debut last year, staff, students, and volunteers from the Learning Disability Association of Saskatchewan (LDAS) were back outside handing out free pancake breakfasts to Prince Albert’s homeless on Thursday.

The LDAS started the trend last year with their inaugural free pancake breakfast. Regional director Rona Pelletier credited their students for getting the event off the ground two years in a row.

“There were a couple students who said they used to be out on the street, and now they’re feeling good and they want to give to those who may need a little bit of help,” Pelletier explained. “I found a grant and they wrote the grant and sent it in…. It was their initiative and we just supported it 110 per cent.”

The LDAS served roughly 200 people in 2022. Pelletier said they expected to serve the same number in 2023.

The LDAS had plenty of support for this year’s free breakfast. Students from the Saskatchewan Polytech cooking program cooked the meals for free, and a local business sold LDAS breakfast sausage at a discount.

They also benefited from the SaskEnergy Share the Warmth Grant. The grant provides cash to charitable organizations providing food, warm clothing, and shelter to those who need it during Saskatchewan’s coldest months.

“I think it was really important to do it again this year because there are lots of people living out in the community that don’t get a warm meal or who need water (and) extra clothes just to stay warm, especially in these conditions,” said Macaylah Kennedy, a University of Regina social work student currently doing her practicum with the LDAS. “Our shelters are overpopulated, so it’s really important to do something for them, especially near Christmas.”

Jason Kerr/Daily Herald. Learning Disability Association of Saskatchewan instructor Ina Holmen (foreground) and volunteer Jan Malenfant (background) prepare individual breakfast platters which were handed out for free in front of the LDAS building on Central Avenue Thursday morning. Saskatchewan Polytechnic cooking students cooked the food for free.

Kennedy and fellow U of R social work student Danika Howe were responsible for applying for the grant and helping organize this year’s breakfast.

They also help LDAS students find housing, apply for assistance like the Saskatchewan Income Supplement, or just provide a listening ear.

“There’s definitely a strong demand for shelter, places to go, food, everything,” Kennedy said. “The systems are there, but sometimes it’s hard to get into them and know how to use them. Even having someone to support that is really important.”

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

Inside workers and City spar over proposed return to work agreement

Jason Kerr
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Inside workers and City spar over proposed return to work agreement

The City of Prince Albert may have come to a tentative agreement with inside workers represented by CUPE 882, but the war of words continues.

On Friday, the union, which represents roughly 90 permanent and 60-70 non-permanent staff, accused the City of Prince Albert of refusing to sign a return to work agreement, a stance disputed by the City’s human resources manager.

“We know that the public is ready for us to return to work. We are also ready to get back to work and provide the services Prince Albert residents rely on,” CUPE 882 vice-president Cara Stelmaschuk said in a press release.

“We had hoped that City Council would have called an emergency meeting to get our members back to work as soon as possible, but this did not happen. Mayor Greg Dionne could have called for an emergency meeting of council with 48 hours notice instead of waiting for the regularly scheduled council meeting. Our membership voted in favour of this agreement over a week ago, but all we are seeing is more delays and threats from leadership.”

Union and City bargaining committee members met with a special conciliator on Tuesday to begin negotiating a return-to-work agreement. The union said that agreement is a standard process after a strike, and helps union members return to work with minimal conflict.

The union says they agreed to a return-to-work process Tuesday evening, but hours later City negotiators said they were unwilling to sign it.

The two sides met again on Thursday, where Yates presented an updated return to work agreement with several changes. The biggest would require union members to drop all charges stemming from an altercation between picketers and Mayor Greg Dionne, who was accused of striking two workers with his vehicle while attempting to drive through the picket line.

CUPE national representative Janice Janzen blasted the City’s proposal in a statement issued Thursday, calling them “inappropriate and potentially illegal.” Instead, she said union members would return to picket City facilities, including the E.A. Rawlinson Centre, which is hosting the Broadway North Youth Company performance of The Little Mermaid Jr.

“Tensions are high, and the city continues to pour gas on the fire instead of trying to calm the water,” Janzen said. “Due to the city’s refusal to sign the return-to-work agreement, we are left with no other option but to picket city facilities and events–including the Little Mermaid. We will continue our standard practice of delaying traffic by walking across accesses.

“We know that this is causing a disruption, but there is an easy solution: we urge the city to sign the negotiated return-to-work agreement as soon as possible.”

City of Prince Albert Human Resources Manager Kevin Yates called the union’s allegations “completely inaccurate” in an interview Friday afternoon. Yates said the return to work agreement discussed on Tuesday was only a draft version.

“There was never an agreed document between the parties,” Yates said. “There was a discussion, and then a draft, which we reviewed (and) changed after discussions yesterday, and they do not like some of the provisions and protections we put in there that are balanced.”

Yates said there have been complaints on both sides about altercations on the picket line. He said the City has also received complaints about security guards being assaulted, however, Yates said it was in the best interest of both parties to drop all charges once union members returned to work.

“What we’re saying is all that stuff gets dropped, on all sides,” he said. “You can’t just say that the union members coming back have protection, and then six months down the road they can go back and re-raise these issues.

“You can’t hold these things over managers’ heads forever either, or people who came to work who are members of the bargaining unit that crossed the picket line,” he added. “You put everything to bed so that everybody comes back.”

If accepted, the new return to work agreement means no union members would be punished or charged for blocking a school bus from entering the E.A. Rawlinson parking lot on Thursday, forcing the bus to drop off students, including one child in a wheelchair, on the street.

Yates said he’s received many calls from parents who want those union members fired. He said they’re willing to move on from the incident, but only if union members drop their charges too.

“They wanted me to fire every damn one of those members, and that’s the way they were voicing it,” Yates said. “There were some very, very angry people, but we have taken, and will continue to take, the high road.

“We’re protecting those employees for everything they’ve done while they’ve been on strike too, but an equal protection needs to be afforded to those people who came to work that crossed the picket line and for managers and members of city council that they have made allegations against too during the strike. Protect everybody.”

Pedestrian killed after being hit by vehicle along Hwy 12

Jason Kerr
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Pedestrian killed after being hit by vehicle along Hwy 12

A 31-year-old man from Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation has died in a fatal collision on Hwy 12 north of Saskatoon.

Emergency services were called to the scene at around 12:30 a.m. on Friday. The man’s family has been notified.

Warman RCMP say the man was walking along Hwy 12 when he was hit. The driver of the vehicle remained at the scene.

The RCMP continues to investigate with assistance from a Saskatchewan RCMP collision reconstructionist.

Former RCMP officer accused of murder takes stand at Court of King’s Bench

Jason Kerr
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Former RCMP officer accused of murder takes stand at Court of King’s Bench

Editor’s Note: This story contains details that may disturb some readers.

A former RCMP officer charged with first degree murder told the court he thought Braden Herman was mad and clutching an object with his hand moments before he shot the 26-year-old in an isolated area on the northern outskirts of Prince Albert in May 2021.

Bernie Herman, no relation to Braden, told the court he focused in on Braden moments before the shooting, and “boom, my gun went off.”

Bernie told the court he “panicked and got scared” afterwards. He said he drove away from the scene and put a gun to his head, thinking about killing himself, before driving to a friend’s house. Herman also told the court he does not recall running over Braden’s body while leaving the scene.

Bernie took the stand in his own defence on Thursday, the fourth day of his first degree murder trial. He answered questions from his lawyer, Darren Kraushaar, in the morning, followed by cross examination from Crown Prosecutor Jennifer Schmidt in the afternoon.

Bernie sat calmly in the witness box wearing a striped, short-sleeved dress shirt with a collar and black pants. Outside, a group of Braden’s friends stood at the steps of the Court of King’s Bench carrying signs that read “Justice for Braden”.

The relationship between the two men began as a father-son relationship, with Bernie and his wife Janice offering Braden a place to stay in Prince Albert, but that quickly changed. On Thursday, Bernie testified that their relationship became sexual roughly one month after Braden moved in.

Bernie told the court he did not enter into the relationship willingly. On the first occasion, he said Braden of trapping him in a downstairs bedroom and refused to let him out unless they had sex.

Bernie described Braden as “very unpredictable”. He said Braden would behave well when others were around, but his mood changed when it was just the two of them.

He told the court some days they would drive around Prince Albert drinking coffee. One others, Bernie said, Braden would demand sex, and make threats if his requests were rejected.

After the two exchanged nude photos, Bernie told the court, Braden said he would release them to “(explicit) up your reputation” if their sexual relationship did not continue.

On the day of the shooting, Bernie said he called Braden multiple times to find out what he had told Janice when the two met the night before. Bernie also told the court he had no intention of meeting with Braden that day.

When asked if he planned to hurt or kill Braden that day, Bernie said no.

When asked about the moments leading up to the shooting, Bernie said Braden instructed him to drive out to Little Red River Park. Bernie told the court he had never been to the area they ended up in, and said Braden removed his clothing before pushing Bernie to the floor in the back of the truck. During the altercation, Bernie said, he chipped a tooth.

The defence entered two images into evidence on Thursday, one showing Bernie with a chipped tooth, and another showing his teeth after visiting a dentist.

Much of the cross-examination focused on Bernie’s status as an RCMP officer with more than 30 years of experience.

When asked if he was trained to call for help and administer CPR following an officer-involved shooting, Bernie responded “it’s been years,” but said yes, he had. When asked why he did not immediately call for help or begin life-saving procedures, Bernie said he couldn’t recall.

“Emotions were high,” he told the court.

When asked why he didn’t drive away after Braden got out of the truck, Bernie told the court “I could have, but I knew what he was capable of.”

Following the shooting, Bernie sent texts to his wife telling her she didn’t have to worry anymore. When asked about comments he made to one of his friends about how he should have just killed himself following the shooting, Bernie said he couldn’t really recall them.

He also maintained he did not knowingly run over Braden’s body.

“The running over part I honestly don’t recall,” he said.

Bernie told the court that prior to the shooting, Braden forced him to engage in oral sex, then later put his hand down Bernie’s pants.

Bernie told the court he was wearing his police tool belt at the time. When asked how Braden got his hands into Bernie’s pants while wearing the belt, Bernie told the court the best was worn loosely around the hips.

The cross-examination also focused on Bernie’s role as a father figure during the initial stages of their relationship. During questioning, Bernie told the court he did not know how old Braden was when his mother died, or why Braden didn’t have a relationship with his father.

When asked why he did not inquire about those details, Bernie said he didn’t not want to re-traumatize Braden by bringing up old memories.

The longest exchange of the cross-examination was about the definition of the word “consensual.” Bernie testified that he the sexual relationship started against his will, but eventually became consensual. He also testified that he had sex with Braden only because he was worried about what Braden’s response would be.

Bernie testified in court that he was worried what people would think if they found out about the relationship.

Thursday was the last day for the crown or the defence to present evidence. Closing arguments are scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 13.

Canadian Centre for Raw Materials makes plans for second conference following successful inaugural event in Prince Albert

Jason Kerr
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Canadian Centre for Raw Materials makes plans for second conference following successful inaugural event in Prince Albert

After a successful first conference in Prince Albert, the Canadian Centre for Raw Materials Display Inc. (CaCeRMDI) has started plans to host their second.

Representatives from five countries, including Canada, were on hand in November when CaCeRMDI hosted the first International Conference and Exhibition for Raw Materials. CaCeRMDI president Leo Ekhaguere said that gave them the confidence to host a second one in April, with more than 50 delegates already registered.

“We’re going to be marketing all the raw materials of different provinces (and) of different territories of Canada to the whole world,” Ekhaguere said. “We need investors in Canada. We need investors in our country, and everything that we do, will be sending them from Prince Albert.

“When people come into Prince Albert to have an in-person conference and exhibition, it will increase the economic growth of our city and our province.”

Ekhaguere said he was very excited with the response to November’s conference. Delegates from the United States, United Kingdom, Ghana, and Nigeria attended, and Saskatchewan’s Legislative Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Resources, Daryl Harrison, gave the keynote address.

Ekhaguere said there is a lot of demand for raw materials around the world. He hopes this conference will help educate and inform industries and businesses who need them, while also promoting Canada and Prince Albert.

However, he’s also hopeful researchers and members of the public will find the conference beneficial.

“We kind of shine a light on where all the raw materials are found so that those who need these raw materials will know where they are found,” he said. “The intention is to continually make available the things that make our life comfortable.”

The two-day conference in November focused on potash and uranium, two raw materials Saskatchewan has in abundance.

Saskatchewan Provincial Secretary for Energy and Resources Daryl Harrison delivers the keynote speech at the inaugural Canadian Centre for Raw Materials Display Centre Inc. — Photo courtesy of the CaCeRMDI.

The April conference will run an entire week, starting on April 25 and running until May 2. Ekhaguere said they’ll be marketing Alberta’s raw materials in April, with a special focus on Limestone and Lithium. There are also plans for a November 2024 conference focusing on Manitoba, and future conferences focusing on the rest of Canada.

As for the CaCeRMDI, Ekhaguere said their aim is to expand their presence in Prince Albert.

“We hope to have a centre where we have different collections of raw materials, where anyone who comes into Canada would always want to visit our centre, to take away, to see what raw materials are used,” he said.


“By that, we can make our own city visible as well.”

Registration closes for the Second International Conference and Exhibition for Raw Materials on Feb. 29, 2024. The event will be held at the Prince Albert Public Library.


Delegates will have an opportunity to tour Prince Albert and area, including Prince Albert National Park before the official opening ceremony on April 29.


Delegates are also expected to tour mining sites and some farms in Prince Albert and the north.

@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca

‘Didn’t want to do this to baby, but I’ve had enough’: court hears messages sent by former RCMP officer accused of murder

Jason Kerr
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‘Didn’t want to do this to baby, but I’ve had enough’: court hears messages sent by former RCMP officer accused of murder

Data logs recovered from multiple cell phones showed a marriage in crisis, and a fractured romantic relationship between former RCMP officer Bernie Herman, and the man he is accused of killing, 26-year-old Braden Herman, no relation.

Day three of the first degree murder trial resumed on Wednesday with Const. Riley Babott of the Calgary Police Service reading messages, playing video, and reviewing audio logs recovered from cell phones belonging to Bernie, Braden, and Bernie’s wife Janice.

The data includes messages from February 2019 to May 11, 2021, the day Braden Herman was killed in a wooden area along the northern outskirts of Prince Albert.

The court heard messages from Janice accusing Bernie of cheating on her with Braden, along with messages from Braden to Bernie saying he is not ashamed of their relationship and accusing Bernie of being embarrassed of his sexuality.

Babott read messages sent by Janice on May 11 accusing her husband of calling Braden daily while ignoring her. In response, Bernie wrote that “Braden is telling lies” but “he has gone too far and I’ve had enough.”

Babott read another message Bernie sent accusing his wife of believing “all his (Braden’s) lies,” along with another message the evening of May 11 saying he had just shot and killed Braden.

“Didn’t want to do this to baby, but I’ve had enough,” Bernie wrote to his wife.

Babott was the only witness called Wednesday morning. He gave evidence outlining the process police used to extract files from Bernie Herman’s personal and work cell phones, along with cell phones belonging to Janice and Braden.

Babott testified that Braden’s phone was badly damaged and password protected, meaning investigators could only extract “minimal information,” most of it coming from the social media app Snapchat.

Messages recovered from Janice’s and Bernie’s phones show Janice upset and angry with her husband. In one message, Janice accuses Bernie of ignoring her, but never ignoring Braden.

“I was alone for months while you had the time of your life,” Janice wrote in one of the messages Babott read to the court.

“Am I supposed to be okay with you talking to him?” Janice wrote in another message.

Babott read two messages from Janice telling her husband to “cut all ties” with Brendan. He also read a message where Janice wrote that she “cried herself to sleep many times.”

Janice also wrote to Bernie, arguing that Braden was sending her messages about Bernie being a “closet case.”

After another complaint, Bernie wrote back “like he tells the truth” and “go ahead and believe him.”

The majority of messages between Braden and Bernie came from Bernie’s personal phone. Babott told the court Bernie’s work phone received little use.

Some messages between the two contained sexually explicit wording, while others contain words of affection.

“Love you, my love,” reads one message.

“Can’t wait to kiss you, lol,’ reads another.

Other messages Babott read to the court were more argumentative, with Braden accusing Bernie of not spending enough time with him.

Babott testified that Bernie’s personal phone showed 43 outgoing calls to Braden’s phone on May 11. Most of them went unanswered.

The trial will resume at Court of King’s Bench on Thursday morning, with closing arguments expected on either Dec. 13 or Dec. 14.

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