Crown drops charges against Ontario pastor for reopening his church

Sheila Gunn Reid
  |   August 18, 2023   |   Be the first to comment

Pastor Michael Thiessen of Grace Baptist Church in Simcoe, Ontario, was charged in 2021 under the Reopening Ontario Act. This law closed businesses and limited church capacity to combat the spread of COVID.

The Crown prosecutor has agreed to stay charges against pastor Michael Thiessen of Grace Baptist Church, who had been charged in April 2021 after complaints to police that his church was non-compliant with limits of church attendance.

The church was then placed under surveillance, and congregants were stopped in a drunk-driving-style check-stop operation by police. Thiessen was charged at this time.

"We are pleased that taxpayer-funded resources will no longer be devoted to this prosecution, which had been carried on pursuant to unscientific laws that were unjustified violations of our Charter rights and freedoms," stated John Carpay, president of the Justice Centre. The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms has been representing the pastor.

A trial for Mr. Thiessen had been scheduled for September 14, 2024.

Sheila Gunn Reid

Chief Reporter

Sheila Gunn Reid is the Editor-in-Chief, Alberta Bureau Chief, member of the board of directors, and host of The Gunn Show at Rebel News. Sheila also serves as President of the Independent Press Gallery of Canada. A mother of three and longtime conservative activist, Sheila is the author of bestselling books, including her most recent release, Independence Blueprint: What Alberta Can Learn From Quebec.

https://mybook.to/sheila

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