Residents of Richmound worry as cult leader settles in

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on September 20, 2023.

https://www.medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews

Residents of Richmound, Sask., are concerned that a cult is setting up a presence in their village.

The leader, “Queen Romana Didulo,” claims to be the rightful queen of Canada, promises people their bills will forgiven and asks for money as she travels in motorhomes and buses to meet online followers across the country.

Groups that investigate hate crimes say she has capitalized on “Q-Anon” style tactics and has called for violence against health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last week she and her followers were escorted by RCMP out of Kamsack, Sask., near the Manitoba border, after residents there protested the presence of the group.

On Monday, residents of Richmound, 100 kms northeast of Medicine Hat, reported that distinctive vehicles were in the village and a number of people were setting up fencing around the village’s former school.

Several residents of the village of 188 people told the News on Tuesday they are very concerned about the group.

“This is one hour away from Medicine Hat, and I’m not happy,” said one longtime resident, who the News is not identifying.

“We don’t need nut jobs like this in the area. People are (very mad).”

Media outlets in Saskatchewan first reported the encampment Monday, stating RCMP were monitoring the situation, but the vehicles were on private property.

The group gained national attention last August while protesting outside a police station in Peterborough, Ont., and several people were arrested for attempting to themselves “arrest” members of that city’s police force.

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