Bountiful, British Columbia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please discuss this issue on the talk page or replace this tag with a more specific message.
This article has been tagged since September 2006.

Please help improve this article or section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.
This article has been tagged since January 2007.

The town of Bountiful was founded in southeastern British Columbia, Canada, in 1947. It is located in the Creston Valley, near Cranbrook and Creston. It is in a rugged area about 40 miles (60 km) northeast of the junction of the borders of Idaho, Montana, and British Columbia. Its estimated population is about 1,000 with about one-third being members of a polygamist group. The polygamists live in a commune style compound outside of the town.

The polygamous community are either of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) or an offshoot of FLDS based on the teachings of Winston Blackmore, a longstanding bishop of the polygamous community who split with the FLDS after concluding their leader, Warren Jeffs, had exceeded his authority and become too dictatorial.

On the April 19, 2005 they held an extensive press conference in an effort to dispel many of the rumours of abuse that had surrounded their community. Bountiful has come under intense scrutiny for its involvement in the polygamous sect. Warren Jeffs, who was considered one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, is thought to have visited a dozen or so times in 2005. The Vancouver Sun on January 28, 2006, released information stating that Utah's attorney general is 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 Las Vegas during August 2006 during a routine traffic stop.

Blackmore's family invited the media to visit on May 16, 2006 in response to a recent visit by the RCMP, indicating that they feel persecuted. Three of his wives may face deportation, as they are US citizens and would not be considered legally married to a Canadian. [1]