SWIFT CURRENT — The leader of a cult that bedevilled residents of a Saskatchewan village for two years is no longer facing charges.
Romana Didulo, head of the so-called Kingdom of Canada, had been charged with two offences but a court official in Swift Current said they were stayed Tuesday by Crown prosecutors.
Didulo, who calls herself the “Queen of Canada,” was accused of failing to comply with an undertaking and intimidating a justice system participant.
In September, police raided the cult’s home in a decommissioned school in the village of Richmound, west of Regina. They obtained a search warrant on reports that someone had a firearm.
Officers took 16 people into custody and seized imitation weapons.
Police eventually charged five people, including Didulo and Ricky Manz, the owner of the former school.
The building was later ordered closed for health reasons, as open sewage could be seen bubbling on the grounds.
Didulo’s case was in the pretrial phase, and stayed charges can be reactivated within a year by the Crown.
The decision is the latest move in the saga involving threats, intimidation and disruption for the 150 residents of Richmound, located near the Alberta boundary.
Mayor Brad Miller has said that after Didulo and her group arrived, they became a nuisance.
Members barricaded the compound, set up security cameras and erected bright LED lights, some of which faced the main highway that runs through the community, Miller said.
He added that the group also harassed locals by yelling at and recording them, and children were scared to go to the playground near the compound.
The village office eventually closed its doors to the public outside prearranged appointments, citing harassment and intimidation towards staff.
Didulo gained prominence during the 2022 “Freedom Convoy” occupation in Ottawa, where she tried to burn the Canadian flag.
Claiming to be the “Queen of Canada,” she characterizes herself as “the custodian of Earth and humanity,” an alien from another planet who can walk on water and encourages thousands of followers via social media to stop paying their bills, taxes and debt under “natural law.”
