Self-described B.C. militia member accused of sharing extremist videos faces five-day trial on several firearms charges
Landon Preik of Chilliwack connected to 'LYNX movement' early in COVID-19 pandemic calling for supporters to 'liberate your nation'
The videos aren't easily accessible online anymore, but a four-year-old social media post under the name "Landon Preik" referred to the “LYNX movement. Liberate your [neighbourhood]. Liberate your nation.”
Another post vaguely encourged people to support the movement and urged action.
“Actions definitely speak louder than words. Are you doing anything.”
An investigation into the now 41-year-old Preik and the videos allegedly connected to him started back on Sept. 14, 2021, according to an RCMP statement in 2022 since deleted from the RCMP's newsroom. That investigation was begun “as a result of several videos posted to social media, in the interest of public safety.”
After the investigation, the case was passed on to the Public Prosecution Service by the RCMP recommending charges. Preik was charged with 10 counts, connected to a date of Nov. 2, 2021, including:
• two counts of possession of a firearm without licence and/or registration;
• three counts of possession of non-firearm unauthorized; and
• five counts of careless use or storage of a firearm.
Preik was in court Thursday (May 15, 2025) for a short pre-trial conference in advance of trial. The case was put over for a routine fix-date appearance on May 20 with a five-day trial by provincial court judge running June 17, 19, 20, 25, 26.
“The videos allegedly depicted masked individuals identifying themselves as militia, anti-establishment messaging and the display of multiple firearms,” the 2022 RCMP statement said.
“The videos also sought support for others to join the movement.”
Preik, born in 1984, has no history of criminal charges in B.C. according to court services online. His only other entires in the public-facing system involve speeding tickets from June 28, 2023 in Canal Flats June 24, 2023 in Wasa.
He is not in custody, and with a first listed court appearance at Dec. 8, 2022, delays must either be attributed to Preik or he may have grounds to apply for dismissal due to delay. The Supreme Court of Canada's Jordan decision put hard numbers on the Charter's section 11(b) regarding trial within a reasonable time. Now "reasonably" means provincial cases need to be wrapped up in 18 months, and cases in BC Supreme Court (which this is not) have a 30-month maximum timeframe.
If the clock should begin at the date of charge approval in February 2022, which means it will have been 41 months to the start of his trial in June. Even if it goes from his first appearance in December 2022 it will have been 31 months. Delay attributed to the prosecution or the court is part of the Jordan calculation, but delay attributed to defence is not.
The supposed militia with individuals encouraging resistance or some sort of violence to establishment authorites were investigated more than a year into the pandemic when tensions were high, disinformation was becoming widespread, and misinformation shared by far-right players was fomenting anger, which led to incidents such as the illegal "freedom convoy" and a rise of anti-vaxxers.
Canadian authorities were reporting on the increased prevalence of ideologically motivated violent extremism.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated xenophobic and anti-authority narratives, many of which may directly or indirectly impact national security considerations,” according to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service’s latest annual report.
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Paul J. Henderson
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