Retail cannabis robbery case adjourned

By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on October 6, 2022.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com

A 39-year-old man accused of robbing a cannabis store last year, then fired his lawyer last month because he felt his case was not progressing fast enough, is still waiting for Legal Aid to appoint him a new lawyer.

The matter for Hank Lee Tremblay was in Lethbridge provincial court Wednesday, where duty counsel lawyer Jeremy DeBow represented the accused and was granted an adjournment until Oct. 19.

Debow said everything has been arranged so the accused can receive a new lawyer, but the appointment is taking some time, possibly because of the ongoing job action by many Alberta lawyers because of inadequate funding to Legal Aid.

“My reading between the lines is that this is connected to the current job action,” DeBow said. “He (Tremblay) understands that it’s taking a bit longer than it should.”

DeBow said a Legal Aid certificate has been issued and it only remains to be accepted by a lawyer.

During a brief court hearing last month, Tremblay complained his case was taking too long to resolve and he was expected to admit to things to which he didn’t want to admit. He said he had been promised a speedy trial, but he’s been sitting in custody at the Edmonton Remand Centre for several months.

Calgary lawyer Spencer Sikora asked to withdraw as Tremblay’s lawyer, and admitted there had been a breakdown in the solicitor-client relationship.

Tremblay is charged with robbery, assault with a weapon and possession of a weapon dangerous to the public. The charges stem from an incident just before 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 29, 2021 when a man armed with a knife robbed Westcan Cannabis in the 1700-block of 23 Street North.

The suspect fled but was tracked by a police dog to a residence in the 1300 block of 23 Street North, where a man was arrested without incident.

Tremblay was actually scheduled for a one-day trial in August, but during a court hearing in April, the Crown pointed out one day would not be enough time to run the trial and it was cancelled. The matter was adjourned to May 3, at which time court was told a pre-trial conference had been scheduled for May 19 so a trial date could be determined. When the case returned on May 24 to confirm the trial date, Sikora said he had lost contact with his client, and a warrant was issued for Tremblay’s arrest.

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