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Wiebo Ludwig: protester or criminal?

Broadcast Date: June 21, 1999

Wiebo Ludwig has long been known as a vehement opponent of oil and gas development who the RCMP suspects has sabotaged local gas wells in Alberta's Peace River region. But the case suddenly escalates in June 1999 when two teens are shot, one of them fatally, while joyriding across Ludwig's farm. In this report from CBC-TV, Ludwig crosses a police barrier to tell reporter Kelly Crowe he learned about the death from his lawyer and that he doesn't know who fired the shots. In a followup, reporter Mike Chisholm notes that Ludwig is both vilified and admired in his community for standing up to the oil companies he says are poisoning his farm and family.

Wiebo Ludwig: protester or criminal?

• In April 2000 Wiebo Ludwig was convicted of five charges of mischief and possessing explosives in connection with vandalism in Alberta's oil patch. He and co-accused Richard Boonstra, convicted on one charge, were sentenced to jail time. Ludwig was in prison for nearly two years.

• No charges were ever laid in the murder of Karman Willis, the 16-year-old girl shot while joyriding on Ludwig's farm. The case remains unsolved as of 2010.

• In 2008 more bombings and sabotage efforts began to plague gas pipelines in northern B.C. Ludwig urged whoever was responsible not to resort to force if they were protesting against EnCana, the company that owned the pipeline.

• According to CBCNews.ca, the RCMP in Alberta took Ludwig into custody on Jan. 8, 2010 in connection with the pipeline bombings in northern B.C.

Wiebo Ludwig: protester or criminal?

Medium: Television

Program: The National

Broadcast Date: June 21, 1999

Guest(s): Wiebo Ludwig, Ben Ludwig, Andrew Nikiforuk

Host: Peter Mansbridge
Reporter: Kelly Crowe, Mike Chisholm

Duration: 5:21

Last updated:
Jan. 8, 2010