Pastor Derek Reimer remains in custody as the court hears two alleged breaches of his bail conditions.

Reimer, the pastor of Mission 7 Ministries in Calgary, is still behind bars after appearing in court Thursday for a bail hearing tied to two alleged breaches of his conditional sentence order.

The pastor, who is under 24/7 house arrest and required to get permission from his probation officer before leaving home, is accused of taking part in two religious services held outside the Calgary courthouse before his scheduled court appearances.

The Crown alleges the first incident happened on April 10, when Reimer showed up at the courthouse and joined a church service on the front steps. While there, he spoke through a microphone and later posted about it on Facebook.

The second breach is alleged to have occured on May 2, under similar circumstances.

Reimer again attended a church gathering on courthouse grounds and used a speaker to address the group. According to the Crown, neither appearance was approved by his probation officer, which the prosecution argues puts Reimer in breach of his bail terms.

During Thursday's hearing, tensions arose when the Crown asked for Pastor Artur Pawlowski — seated in the gallery — to be removed, with the prosecutor claiming Pawlowski was making derogatory comments toward him during proceedings.

Justice Shaw agreed and ordered Pawlowski out of the courtroom.

Reimer’s lawyer, Andrew MacKenzie, pushed back on the Crown’s position, questioning whether simply arriving early at the courthouse should count as a breach.

“How early is someone allowed to show up to court?” he asked, pointing out that people often arrive ahead of time and may wait in public areas like the cafeteria. MacKenzie argued that Reimer believed he was within his rights since he was physically present at the courthouse, as required.

He also drew comparisons to more ordinary situations, like taking a long smoke break, which wouldn’t typically be treated as a violation.

The Crown maintains that the problem isn’t Reimer showing up early — it’s the fact that he actively participated in public religious gatherings before going into the courthouse.

If he had gone straight inside, there wouldn’t be a case.

Justice Shaw asked MacKenzie whether she should make a decision now based on the evidence or wait for him to file a Charter notice — a move that would put the onus on the Crown to prove Reimer knowingly violated his conditions. MacKenzie said he plans to file the notice as soon as Friday.

In the meantime, Justice Shaw urged both sides to keep things moving quickly. Reimer remains in custody at the Calgary Remand Centre until the matter is resolved.

Rebel News viewers have crowdfunded support for Pastor Reimer in the past through donations made to civil liberties charity The Democracy Fund, though these are new charges unrelated to those efforts.

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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