Calgary pastor known for library drag protests is back in jail after courthouse rally
Derek Reimer, 38, accused of breaching house arrest
The Calgary pastor known for protesting at children's library events is back in jail after he was arrested and accused of breaching the house arrest condition of his sentence.
On April 10, Derek Reimer protested on the steps of the Calgary courthouse with supporters about 90 minutes before an appeal in one of his cases was set to be heard.
Reimer was supposed to be on house arrest as part of his 12-month conditional sentence order (CSO) imposed in December by Justice Karen Molle, after she found the pastor guilty of criminal harassment and four counts of breaching his bail conditions.
The convictions stem from protests at library drag storytime events, which Reimer has repeatedly called "pervert grooming sessions."
A conditional sentence order is a jail sentence that an offender is allowed to serve in the community under court-ordered conditions.
Reimer, 38, is permitted to attend court while on house arrest but the allegation is that he exploited the exemption by spending over an hour participating in a rally ahead of his court appearance.
'Not a crime' to arrive early, says defence lawyer
In a statement provided to CBC News, Reimer's lawyer, Andrew MacKenzie, said "it is not a crime to arrive 90 minutes early to your own court date."
"My concern is that he is not being punished by going to court too early, but that he is being punished for going to court too early and saying the wrong thing," said MacKenzie.
"Throughout these proceedings, the line between criminalizing his actions and opinions has been blurry."
Although Reimer is accused of breaching his CSO in April, he wasn't arrested until May 8.
Bail denied
MacKenzie also expressed concern about the timing of the arrest, which happened one day before his appeal of Justice Molle's conviction and sentence, meaning Reimer was not in attendance at the hearing.
"Calgary police could not have picked a more prejudicial date and time to arrest [Reimer]," said MacKenzie.
On Monday, Molle denied bail for Reimer, who has been in custody since last week.
Reimer will be back in court next week for a hearing on the breach.
In 2023, Derek Reimer was arrested three times in five weeks and charged with a number of offences as he protested Reading With Royalty events hosted at Calgary Public Library branches across the city.
The reading events involve drag queens and kings reading stories to children who are encouraged to dress in their best outfit, cape or crown.
During the protests, Reimer has called the drag kings and queens "perverts" whose actions are "wrong," "evil" and part of "the homosexual agenda."
Harassment conviction
Molle's convictions are connected to an incident on March 27, 2023, at the Saddletowne library, where Reimer attended and asked to speak with the manager.
He proceeded to record their conversation, telling her she was "corrupting kids" and that if her library followed through on hosting the planned event, he would return.
Reimer told her, "we're going to make this public and your name's going to be out there."
He also said, "we'll be back … and I don't think you want that kind of attention."
Reimer later posted the video to Facebook, encouraging his followers to contact the woman to express their "disgust" and encouraged them to "take action."
Appeals
Included in the social media post were the woman's name, the library phone number and the date and location for the next drag event.
The defence appealed Molle's conviction and sentence. The appeal decision in that case will take place next week, one day before Reimer's breach hearing.
In September 2024, a judge found Reimer not guilty on charges of mischief and causing a disturbance connected to an incident at the Seton Library in February 2023.
Last October, Reimer was found guilty of breach charges stemming from his protests. For those convictions, he was fined $500.
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