Correction:
A previous version of this story stated that Roy Blake was potentially facing life in prison. That was an error on the Labradorians part and we apologize for any inconvenience it may have caused. The error is corrected below.
Three candidates running in the upcoming Nunatsiavut general election on May 1 are before the courts facing criminal charges.
In Hopedale former Nunatsiavut Health Minister Greg Flowers is running and is facing an assault charge. Flowers is scheduled to return to court in Happy Valley-Goose Bay on Tuesday, April 24. If convicted, Flowers could be facing six months in jail or a $5,000 fine.
In the Upper Lake Melville constituency two of the seven people running for the Ordinary Member (OM) position are in court on criminal charges.
As previously reported by the Labradorian, former OM Roy Blake, who stepped down late last year, is facing two counts of sexual assault. Blake is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 12 for a preliminary inquiry. Blake could be potentially a maximum penalty of two years less a day.
The other candidate facing charges in the Upper Lake Melville race is Marjorie Flowers. She, along with many others, is facing charges related to the Muskrat Falls protests in the fall of 2016. Flowers is also facing a charge of extortion and is scheduled to go to trial on Sept. 18 and 19 in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. According to court documents, Flowers is being charged with attempting ‘to induce, John Hickey, by threats, to publicly apologize to the Land Protectors group.’
The Nunatsiavut government policy on candidates state ‘a person who has been convicted of an indictable offence and whose sentence was completed less than five years prior to nomination day or has been convicted of a summary offence and whose sentence is not yet completed’ cannot run in the election but does not address those currently facing charges.
None of these charges have been proven in court.
