On November 27, Pastor Derek Reimer of Calgary was in court for the sentencing of his guilty verdict. Reimer was found guilty of criminal harassment and four counts of breaching bail conditions in August this year.

These charges stem from a conversation Reimer had with Saddletowne Public Library service delivery manager Shannon Slater. Reimer asked to speak to the manager to inquire as to why the library was hosting events for kids where adults dressed in drag read books to children, which often involve the pursuit of questioning one’s own sexual identity and promoting deviance.

Slater, unwilling to have the conversation with Reimer, asked him to leave — which he promptly did. During this brief interaction Reimer suggested he would be back to protest, and that as the manager of said library who allowed these events to occur, Slater may not find it ideal to be publicly affiliated with these “pervert grooming sessions.”

The full interaction which was shown during sentencing can be found in the video aspect of this report.

This conversation caused Reimer to be arrested and charged since Slater felt targeted by Reimers inquiry. Reimer’s defence lawyer, Andrew MacKenzie, who was crowdfunded through The Democracy Fund, argued the threshold for criminal harassment was not met, as Slater only testified that she was “upset” by the matter.

In a video following Reimer's charges, which was shown in court, MacKenzie affirmed his position that, “if it’s criminal harassment to upset someone, we’re all guilty.” On the day of sentencing, the victim impact statement was not submitted by Slater, some attending proceedings considered this a lack of Slater’s care regarding Reimer’s conviction.

The prosecutor submitted the two videos and post from Facebook as evidence. He suggested Reimer’s refusal to take the video with Slater down shows he had no remorse for his actions, caused long term harm to Slater, and should be punished as such.

MacKenzie argued it would be fruitless to remove the post as it has already been widely shared through the internet and media outlets have already reported on its content.

Following the incident with Slater, Reimer stuck to his word and did come back to protest the events.

During these protests, which took place hundreds of metres away from the library, Reimer was found to have breached his condition of being within 200 metres of an “LGBTQ2S+” event.

In part, this was due to him using a microphone to project his voice within the area, causing police to be concerned that people on their way to the event may have overheard him preaching. MacKenzie argued these conditions lacked clarity when imposed on Reimer.

The crown sought 12 months prison and three years' probation, while the defence sought time served due to Reimer’s time in custody following his arrest. The defence also sought a proportional sentence to others convicted of criminal harassment, as Reimer’s criminal behaviour paled in comparison to others, yet was facing a harsher sentence request by the crown.

Defence also suggested specific deterrence would be better than time behind bars, and for the judge to clarify the grounds of reasonable peaceful protest without crossing the line into harassment.

The judge did inquire about the impact custody would have on Pastor Reimer, considering he is the breadwinner of his family, would be taken from his newly born child, and unable to perform his pastoral services to those in Calgary seeking religious solace or even a warm meal for those in need, which is part of Pastor Reimer's Mission 7 ministries function.

In closing remarks, Reimer addressed the judge with his concerns on the situation, highlighting his intentions of protesting rather than harassing, and a need for her to clarify “where is the line?” that allows him to retain his right to peacefully protest.

He expressed concerns towards going “to jail for a year because her (Shannon Slater) feelings were hurt” after he sought to protest a drag reading event targeting children. As Reimer spoke, one of the court clerks, meant to act as a representative of the crown, clutched her drinking mug laced with trans stickers in a subtle protest of Reimer’s final words.

On December 3, Reimer’s sentencing date was decided to be December 23, 2024.

DONATE: Fight Pastor Derek's Censorship Fines (TDF)

The Democracy Fund is providing legal defence for Pastor Derek Reimer, who was assaulted, and then absurdly fined and arrested, while peacefully protesting Drag Story Time. Please donate here to help out.

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