In addition to being locked out, the church was fined $35,000. Hildebrandt’s church was found in contempt of court for holding repeated gatherings in violation of the Reopening Ontario Act. All congregants were directed to immediately leave the premises and police locked the doors to the building, as ordered by Ontario Superior Court Justice Bruce Thomas. On May 14, 2021, Hildebrandt’s indoor church service was interrupted by police. In November, Hildebrandt received a ticket for attending an anti-lockdown rally in London. Henry Hildebrandt, Church of God (Aylmer, Ontario)īack in April 2020, Pastor Henry Hildebrandt was facing threats of fines from police for leading over-capacity drive-in church services, even though parishioners stayed inside their vehicles in the parking lot with the windows rolled up as they listened to the service via radio signal. Artur claims he was placed in solitary confinement for three days before being released on Monday.Īrtur Pawlowski will be in court on May 26 for two hearings related to holding church services, and the tickets he received for alleged Public Health Act violations will be in docket court on June 14. But after hosting a sermon on Saturday, May 8, Artur Pawlowski and his brother Dawid were arrested on the side of the road and dragged into police vehicles. The police and Alberta Health Services officials did indeed leave that particular day. Coates’ legal representation, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, notes that the case still has a further hearing where the Alberta Government must produce their scientific and medical evidence for enforcing lockdowns.Īrtur Pawlowski, Cave of Adullam Church (Calgary, Alberta)ĭuring Easter of this year, video footage of Pastor Artur Pawlowski shouting at police to leave his church property while calling them “Gestapo” and “Nazis” went viral. James Coates had two trial dates in early May related to his tickets, but the trial has been adjourned until June 7. Since then, James Coates has delivered sermons from a secret location. In early April, Coates hosted Easter services at his church, at which point Alberta Health Services and the RCMP seized the church property and fenced off GraceLife indefinitely. Coates was locked up in the Edmonton Remand Centre from February 16 to March 22, 2021. GraceLife was ordered closed by the province in January 2021, but congregants continued to meet in spite of the order. Pastor James Coates made headlines earlier this year when he was thrown in jail for 35 days because he did not enforce masks, social distancing or attendance caps while holding church services. James Coates, GraceLife Church (Edmonton, Alberta) However, Alberta Health Services ordered Fairview Baptist Church closed. On Wednesday May 19, the Pastor’s wife, Raquel Stephens, confirmed that he had returned home. The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) – the legal organization representing Stephens – states that his detention was illegal, as Stephens was arrested for violating a May 6 court injunction that the JCCF successfully got amended and was therefore inapplicable to him. On Sunday May 16, Pastor Tim Stephens was arrested and jailed immediately after holding a church service where masks, social distancing and attendance caps were not enforced.īack in March, police showed up at Stephens’ home address and handed him three tickets: one for holding a gathering over 15% of fire code capacity, another for not enforcing the two metre rule and another for violating mandatory mask rules (this particular ticket was rescinded). Tim Stephens, Fairview Baptist Church (Calgary, Alberta) You may have briefly clicked on a video clip or news headline featuring one of these pastors or churches, but here is a comprehensive guide to who’s who, with an update on each case. Though some may claim that church services are COVID-19 superspreader events, there is no scientific or medical evidence to support such assertions. Freedom of expression, assembly and worship are Charter rights in Canada, but in the last couple of months, five pastors have been either arrested or charged for holding church services and not enforcing masks, social distancing or attendance caps.
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