Montreal church fights back after city issues $2,500 prayer service fine
Congregation says City of Montreal abused its power and trampled Christian freedoms and now the battle heads to Quebec Superior Court.
A Montreal church is refusing to quietly pay a $2,500 ticket for holding a prayer service. Instead, Ministerios Restauración Church is fighting back, filing a legal defence and a Charter challenge in Quebec Superior Court that accuses the City of Montreal of abusing its power and violating fundamental rights.
The fine was issued after a July 25, 2025, worship service featuring American musician Sean Feucht.
Roughly 150 people attended the free event, which was disrupted when anti-Christian protesters tossed a smoke bomb into the sanctuary.
Police and inspectors were on site, but rather than punishing the vandals, city officials targeted the congregation issuing a bylaw ticket claiming the prayer service wasn’t.
Lawyers funded by The Democracy Fund (TDF) have filed a not-guilty plea in municipal court while also launching a Superior Court appeal. That judicial review asks the court to:
- Quash the fine and halt proceedings,
- Declare that prayer and musical worship are legitimate uses of a church building, and
- Award $10,000 in damages for what the filing calls intentional violations of Charter rights.
The appeal argues that the City of Montreal trampled on rights protected by both the Quebec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, including freedom of religion, freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly, and equality without discrimination on the basis of faith or belief.
TDF lawyers also say city officials crossed the line into outright hostility toward religion. Inspectors threatened enforcement before the service, and the mayor’s office publicly condemned the event as being “against values of inclusion, solidarity, and respect.”
The irony is obvious: a Christian prayer service was smeared as ‘divisive,’ while protesters who attacked the church faced no consequences.
“This is the first step in defending the Church and ensuring that Christians in Canada have the same rights to freely and peacefully worship as anyone else,” said TDF litigation director Mark Joseph.
The City has not yet filed its response, and no date has been set for the hearing. But the case could have major implications.
A ruling in the church’s favour would reinforce that zoning bylaws cannot be weaponized against worshippers and that governments cannot redefine away Charter rights under the guise of “inclusion” or “public order.”
Founded in 2021, The Democracy Fund is a registered Canadian charity that supports Canadians facing government overreach through litigation and public education.
Sheila Gunn Reid
Chief Reporter
Sheila Gunn Reid is the Alberta Bureau Chief for Rebel News and host of the weekly The Gunn Show with Sheila Gunn Reid. She's a mother of three, conservative activist, and the author of best-selling books including Stop Notley.
COMMENTS
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Crude Sausage commented 2025-09-15 21:06:58 -0400They are right to do so and they will win. Hopefully, this victory will serve as a precedent for future bullying from the leftist governments of big cities. People in a metropolis can be expected to vote for Marxist garbage, but the smart elements of that metropolis don’t have to live under their tyranny. -
Bruce Atchison commented 2025-09-15 19:32:17 -0400Let’s pray for that church’s court case. Let’s also spread the news wide and far about what’s happening. Ordinary people are appalled at the villainy of the left. It’s time to call out leftist hate.
