Riverside Calvary attracts bylaw officers but no fines on Sunday after $2,300 ticket

By Drea Humphrey
|
December 08, 2020

Fight The Fines

Reporting on and fighting the pandemic fines.

Never did I think I’d live to see the day that Christians and other religious groups would be oppressed to the point of only being permitted to worship together if they did so with the blessing of the Canadian government.

Nevertheless, if you saw my report on Riverside Calvary Worship, the BC church that was fined $2300 for offering in-person services, then you know that day has come and gone.

How can this be? Canada is renowned for its tolerance of all different peoples and faiths. Even now, in the middle of what our government calls a pandemic, people flee to our country, in some cases illegally, while the RCMP looks the other way,

Yet, places of worship can face thousands of dollars in fines in the name of COVID-19 prevention, despite being linked to zero coronavirus outbreaks and adopting safety measures that should make Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry proud.

But maybe all isn’t lost for freedom of religion in BC. Last Sunday we saw that the RCMP and bylaw officers obeyed section 176 (2) of the Criminal Code that makes it illegal to willfully interrupt religious worship. A few days after that, when asked if the Upper Fraser Valley RCMP would be fining churches that opened in Chilliwack, BC, RCMP Corporal Mike Rail said “At this moment, the Chilliwack RCMP are moving forward with education to have compliance with the health regulations.”

This Sunday, I went back to Riverside Calvary Chapel, to see if they could expect the same courtesy from Langley RCMP. I also spoke with Pastor Brent Smith, about what the past week had been like since the church took a stand for their right to practice their religion as they see necessary, in contrast to what BC’s public health order permits.

Rebel News believes that religion is essential and we want any churches in the lower mainland to know that if they feel compelled to open their house of worship, we will take care of fighting any fines that they, or their congregants receive for doing so. We have hired a team of amazing lawyers who are totally committed to this important task. To let us know if you need support, or to donate and help us recoup some of the costs of offering this relief, please head to FightTheFines.com.

Spread the Word!