Smuggler’s Inn owner’s trial postponed until at least the fall

The trial of Bob Boule, the owner of the Smuggler’s Inn Bed and Breakfast in Blaine who is alleged to have helped people enter Canada illegally, has been postponed.

Boule’s trial in B.C. had previously been scheduled to start on January 13, but has now been pushed back until at least the fall, said Erica Olmstead, a partner with Edelmann and Company, a Vancouver law firm that has represented Boule in some pre-trial proceedings.

Boule was arrested by Canadian authorities last April for allegedly helping people cross into Canada illegally. Crown prosecutors have alleged that he helped various individuals cross into Canada from the Smuggler’s Inn property, which abuts the U.S./Canada border and “0” Avenue in Surrey, B.C.

Specifically, prosecutors have alleged that Boule committed a number of violations of Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, which states that “no person shall organize, induce, aid or abet the coming into Canada of one or more persons knowing that, or being reckless as to whether, their coming into Canada is or would be in contravention of this Act.”

A spokesperson for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC) told The Northern Light last year that the maximum penalty for each such offense is a $500,000 fine or 10 years’ imprisonment. “The penalty for this same offense, if done for profit, is a minimum of three years’ imprisonment,” said the spokesperson.

After he was granted bail on April 25 last year, some charges were dropped against Boule. During a B.C. court appearance on June 11, prosecutors revealed their decision to “stay” nine of the 30 charges against Boule. When charges are stayed, it “means that the prosecution has determined not to pursue those charges at this point in time,” a PPSC spokesperson said at the time.

Subsequently, Boule’s application to have his defense funded by the Canadian government was granted during a July 5 court appearance. According to a media report, Boule made a successful “Rowbotham” application. The application, named after a 1988 case in Ontario, can be made by people who are facing “serious and complex” criminal charges and have been denied legal aid but can’t afford a lawyer.