Derek Sloan at GraceLife: “Where's the science in any of this?”

By Sheila Gunn Reid
|
April 12, 2021

By Sheila Gunn Reid

PETITION: Free Pastor James

Pastor James Coates was held for nearly five weeks on charges related to his refusal to turn congregants away from GraceLife Church. Pastor Coates still has one final hurdle to clear when his charge for violating health restrictions heads to court in May. Please sign our petition if you agree that all the charges should be dropped.

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Goal: 25,000 Signatures

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GraceLife Church, west of Edmonton, has been completely walled off behind three layers of fencing, a black tarp and dozens of RCMP officers, after the Alberta government seized the property last week.

With some very rare exceptions, politicians have been all but silent on the violation of civil liberties and religious freedom happening at the hands of Alberta Health Services. Rebel News spoke with independent conservative MP from Ontario, Derek Sloan, who visited the church on the day it was taken over by health bureaucrats. Alberta UCP MLA Dan Williams has also been vocal about his opposition to the confiscation of the church property.

GraceLife garnered international attention after the congregation's pastor, James Coates, spent 35 days in Edmonton's maximum security Remand Centre for failing to force his congregation to comply with public health orders that would limit the congregation size to just 15 per cent of fire code capacity. GraceLife has regularly held services that reach the fire code capacity of 619 people.

Last Wednesday, RCMP, private security contractors and a fencing company moved to execute an Alberta Health Services closure notice by fencing off the property and setting up a long-term RCMP occupation of the site.

The property remains heavily fortified by police and security, though GraceLife's congregation held services at an undisclosed location off-site on Sunday.

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