In a scene chock full of déjà vu, notorious malcontent Reverend Wiebo Ludwig was arrested in Grande Prairie, A.B.. on Friday, Jan. 8, 2010 in connection with the bombing of EnCana pipelines in northern British Columbia, and promptly released without charge the next morning. Ludwig, who is the head of a large, religious family who live communally on a farm near Hythe, Alberta, is no stranger to RCMP in the region. In the late 1990s, he spent 19 months in jail on charges related to vandalism and bombing of oil and gas operations in the area, which he staunchly maintains are detrimental to the health and well being of his family and the environment as a whole.
What struck me as interesting in this new development in the ongoing saga of “the EnCana Bomber” — as many have dubbed the unknown vandal — is that this is the only public development in the case since it began, and is the first, and only, public arrest made in connection to the six bombings since October 2008. EnCana has posted an outstanding $1 million reward, and RCMP and EnCana have spent thousands of hours and even more money on the investigation, with zero results.
When Ludwig was arrested Friday, he had been invited by investigators to a motel in Grande Prairie to discuss the case. According to Ludwig’s son Jon, the talk was supposed to be about “dealing with the larger issues of industry, pollution and finding larger solutions to the problems, so my dad agreed to meet with him on those grounds.” When he showed up, he was surrounded by RCMP and arrested on what his lawyer at the time thought would be charges of extortion.
At this time, Ludwig is free once again, without charge, though RCMP officers are searching his homestead extensively, and will likely still be at it when this issue hits the stands. In October of last year, Ludwig was working closely with the RCMP in Dawson Creek, and even sent an open letter, published widely, urging “the bomber” to halt his or her violent acts in the name of public safety. As with Wiebo’s previous dealings with the RCMP — details of which are public knowledge in the Peace region, an excellent summary of which is available in Andrew Nikiforuk’s award winning book Saboteurs — the Crown has shown its willingness to act in bad faith and use dirty tricks to get results.
Having said that, Ludwig is no saint. Though a devoted religious man, Ludwig and his family are seen by many in the community as “worthy of derision and hatred.” Still others look to him for guidance in dealing with the Goliath industry that EnCana represents.
And therein lies the rub. While most residents value the once-pristine environment of the Peace, many of the area’s residents — and many of my high school friends — are employed either directly by EnCana, or other oil and gas companies, or benefit directly from the economic stimulation that resource development provides for hinterland regions in Canada. The city of Dawson Creek itself — one of the greenest municipal centres in the province of British Columbia — benefits greatly from EnCana digging around in its backyard, through employment of citizens and direct investment in infrastructure from the energy giant.
Ludwig’s arrest will likely yield little in terms of results, but it has proved to be a great piece of public relations for the RCMP and EnCana’s investigation. When the news broke Friday, I immediately received a message from an associate and sometime business partner of mine in Edmonton, followed shortly by more messages from others who are familiar with or following the story. “Whoa! Wiebo!” read one; “They got the son of a bitch!” read another. Little of the news coming in from the CBC, or elsewhere, however, indicates much more than a desperate grab for results, empty as they may be, to show the public that something is, in fact, being done.
Time, of course, will have to tell if Ludwig is involved at all in these recent bombings, or if the authorities are just barking up a tree, clamping down on the beleaguered reverend in hopes of scaring the real bomber from the woodwork. I’m inclined to believe the latter, if only because I find it hard to believe Wiebo could be so dumb or insane as to repeat the actions that caused him so much grief only a decade ago. But you know what they say about old dogs and new tricks, and, if nothing else, Ludwig is a wily old mongrel in the eyes of many, and the world has certainly not heard the last from this righteous codger.
Sheldon Birnie will be visiting the Peace Region in February for a good ol’ country wedding.
