Bountiful, British Columbia
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Bountiful is a settlement in the Creston Valley of southeastern
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
, Canada, near Cranbrook and Creston. The closest community is
Lister, British Columbia Lister, British Columbia is a small community in the Kootenays region of British Columbia, Canada. It is located 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Creston and is just north of the Canada–US border. Originally known as Camp Lister, it was e ...
. Bountiful is made up of members of two
polygamist Polygamy (from Late Greek , "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marriage, marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, it is called polygyny. When a woman is married to more tha ...
Mormon fundamentalist groups. The settlement is named after Bountiful in the Book of Mormon.


History

The first member of the group that bought property near Lister was Harold Michael Blackmore, who moved there with his family in 1946. Other members of the church who believed in the principle of plural marriage soon followed. After Winston Blackmore became the bishop in the 1980s, the group took the name of Bountiful. Bountiful's estimated population was 600 in 1998 and has since grown to about 1,000. Most of the residents are descended from only half a dozen men. Bountiful's Mormon fundamentalists have divided into two groups: about half are members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church), and the rest are members of the Church of Jesus Christ (Original Doctrine) Inc., an FLDS offshoot based on the teachings of Blackmore, who split with the FLDS Church after concluding the president of the church, Warren Jeffs, had exceeded his authority and become too dictatorial. The FLDS bishop is James Oler.


Allegations of abuse

On April 19, 2005, Bountiful's leaders held an extensive press conference in an effort to dispel many of the allegations of
abuse Abuse is the act of improper usage or treatment of a person or thing, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, ...
that had surrounded their community. Bountiful has come under intense scrutiny for its involvement in the polygamous FLDS Church. Warren Jeffs, who was one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, is thought to have visited a dozen or so times in 2005. On January 28, 2006, the ''
Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network, and is the larg ...
'' released information that Utah's attorney general was collaborating with British Columbia's attorney general in attempting to deal with polygamy and the alleged abuse in these communities. Jeffs was captured by the authorities outside
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in August 2006 during a routine traffic stop. On September 25, 2007, he was found guilty of being an accomplice to
rape Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person ...
. Prosecutors said Jeffs forced a 12-year-old girl into marriage and sex with her 19-year-old first cousin. Jeffs faced 5 years to life in prison on each of two felony charges. Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff said, "Everyone should now know that no one is above the law; religion is not an excuse for abuse, and every victim has a right to be heard." On May 16, 2006, Blackmore's family invited the media to visit in response to a recent visit by the
Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...
, indicating that they felt persecuted. Three of Blackmore's putative wives could face
deportation Deportation is the expulsion of a person or group of people by a state from its sovereign territory. The actual definition changes depending on the place and context, and it also changes over time. A person who has been deported or is under sen ...
, as they are U.S. citizens and would not be considered legally married to a Canadian. On June 6, 2007, the province of British Columbia announced the appointment of high-profile Vancouver criminal lawyer Richard Peck as a special prosecutor to review the results of a police investigation into possible polygamous activity or other offences by members of the community. On August 1, 2007, Peck concluded that there was not enough evidence to charge the group with
sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using physical force, or by taking advantage of another. It often consists of a persistent pattern of sexual assaults. The offender is re ...
or exploitation charges, as it had been extraordinarily difficult to find victims willing to testify, and the defendants were likely to claim "
religious freedom Freedom of religion or religious liberty, also known as freedom of religion or belief (FoRB), is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice ...
" as a defence. Peck suggested that British Columbia ask the courts whether current polygamy laws, specifically section 293 of the ''
Criminal Code A criminal code or penal code is a document that compiles all, or a significant amount of, a particular jurisdiction's criminal law. Typically a criminal code will contain offences that are recognised in the jurisdiction, penalties that might ...
'', are constitutional. Peck said that it was time to find out whether Canada's polygamy laws would stand. He said, "If the law is upheld, members of the Bountiful community will have fair notice that their practice of polygamy must cease." The Supreme Court of British Columbia upheld Canada's polygamy laws in a 2011 reference case. In July 2017, two men from the FLDS community, Blackmore and Oler, were convicted of one count each of polygamy. Blackmore and Oler are the third and fourth people in Canada history to be convicted of polygamy. Blackmore was found to have married 24 women and fathered 149 children. In June 2018, both men were given house arrest as a result of their convictions. Blackmore received 6 months' house arrest followed by 18 months' probation, while Oler received 3 months' house arrest and 12 months' probation. In August, 2017, Brandon James Blackmore and Emily Ruth Gail Blackmore were convicted of removing an underage girl from Canada for marriage in the United States. They were sentenced to 12 months and seven months in jail, respectively, followed by probation of 18 months, for transporting a 13-year-old girl to the U.S. in 2004 for marriage to Warren Jeffs. Oler was a third defendant in this case and was acquitted, which was successfully challenged by the Crown. In an August 2019 new trial, Oler was convicted of the same child removal charge and sentenced to 12 months in jail and 18 months' probation. During the trial, records revealed that Jeffs had directed Oler on June 23, 2004, to bring a 15-year-old to the U.S. for marriage. As of August 2011, Jeffs had been sentenced to life in prison for sexually assaulting two underage followers taken as brides.


See also

* Factional breakdown: Mormon fundamentalist sects * Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints * Human rights in Canada *
List of denominations in the Latter Day Saint movement The denominations in the Latter Day Saint movement are sometimes collectively referred to as ''Mormonism''. One source estimated over 400 denominations have sprung from founder Joseph Smith's original movement. ''Mormon'' is an informal term ...
* List of Mormon fundamentalist leaders *
Mormon fundamentalism Mormon fundamentalism (also called fundamentalist Mormonism) is a belief in the validity of selected fundamentalism, fundamental aspects of Mormonism as taught and practiced in the nineteenth century, particularly during the administrations of J ...
* Mormonism and polygamy * Polygamy in North America: Canada


References


Further reading

* * * *


External links


Religious Tolerance: ''Polygyny in the Mormon Movement: Bountiful, British Columbia''

CBC: ''The Fifth Estate'' - ''"The Bishop of Bountiful"''


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''"B.C. needs legal opinion before polygamy court challenge: lawyer"''
- CBC News {{DEFAULTSORT:Bountiful Populated places in the Regional District of Central Kootenay Unincorporated settlements in British Columbia East Kootenay Mormon fundamentalist denominations History of British Columbia History of human rights in Canada Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints 1948 establishments in Canada