This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Vancouver, Canada • A polygamist leader in Canada is arguing that he can't be charged for his past plural marriages because he wasn't given fair notice.
Winston Blackmore's lawyer made the arguments Monday before the British Columbia Supreme Court in Canada. Attorney Joe Arvay contended the provincial government can't charge Blackmore or anybody for acts of polygamy that date back past 2011.
Arvay says a legal ruling that year clarified that polygamy doesn't violate Canada's bill of rights.
A government prosecutor countered that turning a blind eye to historical acts of polygamy would grandfather Blackmore's polygamy into law.
Blackmore's group resides in the community of Bountiful, near the town of Creston that's just over the border from Idaho. His members follow a fundamentalist form of Mormonism that, unlike the mainstream church, still condones polygamy.