A church locked over COVID restrictions in Ontario, Canada has decided to hold service outdoors instead.
The Church of God in Aylmer, Ontario, Canada, which was recently ordered to shut down by the Ontario Superior Court Justice, has moved their Sunday in-person service outdoors in defiance of the Reopening Ontario Act. The controversial church was found to be in contempt of court after they insisted on holding church gatherings despite provincial orders on COVID-19 restrictions.
According to CBC, the Church of God took to the open spaces of the church grounds on Sunday for an in-person service. A YouTube live video stream showed dozens of churchgoers standing side-by-side with no face masks on. Aylmer Police Chief Zvonko Horvat believed there had been 200 to 250 attendants at the church service.
Current COVID-19 restrictions only allow up to 10 people gathering, with physical distancing guidelines required to be practiced during the event. Horvat said that there will be more charges under the Reopening Ontario Act and that authorities are insistent on "shutting down" the church. He said that they are working with the Attorney General's office to follow court processes and are committed to pursuing the case.
Global News reported that on April 30, Justice Bruce Thomas found the Church of God to be in contempt of his order prohibiting the church from holding religious gatherings that violate current COVID-19 restrictions. The controversial church is known to repeatedly violate the COVID-19 guidelines set by the Reopening Ontario Act. The court then decided to shut down the church but not without giving them time to "explore the issue of the harm posed."
However, Lisa Bildy, a lawyer from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, is challenging the court's decision, saying she wants to "explore the question of the harm that they allege is prompting the decision to want to lock the doors."
"I'm hoping that the court will recognize that locking churches in this country is a pretty significant message to send and that there is still a real question as to whether all of this lockdown stuff is going to be, at the end of the day, justified," Bildy argued.
Church of God Pastor Henry Hildebrandt, who was also fined by the government $10,000 on top of the church's $35,000 fine, remains unmoved. CTV News reported that Bildy called him a "voice for constitutional freedom."
The pastor said that they are counting on the Charter, Bill of Rights, and the Criminal Code to protect him, the church, and its congregation. The judge is set to see them in court in October, during which the pastor will "see if our charter holds or not."
"Church is fundamental to these people, taking away their church is a severe penalty," Bildy argued.
Similarly, a church in Woolwich in southeast London, England was fined about $38,000 when they were found to be in contempt of court in February. The church elders were also slapped with court fees of up to $45,000.
