Church in Woolwich, Ont. ruled in contempt, elders charged for holding Sunday service
Church was charged for breaching province-wide shutdown restrictions
Trinity Bible Chapel in Woolwich township, just outside Waterloo, Ont. has been found in contempt of court after opening for in-person services last Sunday and exceeding pandemic crowd limits set under the Reopening Ontario Act.
Church representatives appeared in Kitchener's Superior Court of Justice Wednesday morning.
Lisa Bildy, a lawyer from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms representing the church, said the church did not oppose the finding of contempt.
"We did not make submissions as to the question of whether the church was in contempt of the earlier order. The evidence was clear that they had held a service last Sunday," she said in an email to CBC.
"While the church is not challenging the contempt proceedings, it is planning to challenge the earlier order to enforce compliance on the basis that the restrictions against gathering for worship services are unconstitutional and contrary to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms," she added.
The church on Lobsinger Line has been ticketed twice for exceeding capacity limits during the provincial lockdown. Church officials were charged on two separate occasions for in-person services held Dec. 27 and Jan. 3.
Under provincial pandemic rules, only 10 people are allowed at an indoor religious service or ceremony. The church can hold drive-in services where people remain in their cars.
Elders, pastor charged
Bylaw officers attended the Sunday service, and today seven people were charged by the Region of Waterloo for hosting it.
"Six elders, including the pastor [Jacob Reaume], and the Trinity Bible Chapel corporation," have been charged "under the Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act for hosting a gathering exceeding the number permitted," officials said in a statement to CBC.
The region has also charged an elder and Reaume for attending a gathering of more than ten people.
Commenting on the contempt case, a spokesperson for the region said in the statement, "We are satisfied with this outcome but cannot comment further since the sentencing phase of the contempt proceeding is still pending."
"The Region understands, as part of these contempt proceedings, that the Trinity Bible Chapel and the other named respondents agreed not to hold further indoor religious services contrary to the Order of the Court leading up to the sentencing hearing."
Bildy said sentencing on the contempt case will occur next month.