Calgary Pastor Derek Reimer faces charges of trespassing at city hall after a prayer gathering was considered a "religious event without a permit."

"Clearly, there is a distinction between religious activity and holding a religious event. A public prayer ban is not something we should tolerate in a free and democratic society," explained Reimer's lawyer, Alan Honner.

Reimer, the pastor at Mission 7 Ministries, leads outreach efforts focused on the homeless and vulnerable in Calgary's downtown core. According to a recent press release by The Democracy Fund (TDF):

Reimer was silently praying with his back to a wall in the municipal complex on March 14, 2023, with four other individuals, when he was approached by four police officers and two security guards who issued him a Trespass Notice.

His alleged offence is holding a religious event inside the municipal complex without a permit, which is contrary to Bylaw 38M2012.

Previously, Reimer was ticketed for feeding the homeless during the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which Calgary police deemed an illegal public gathering.

K2 talks to Derek Reimer, an organizer for Pastor Artur Pawlowski's Street Church in Calgary, AB, about the two tickets he's had successfully thrown out of court through Rebel News' Fight The Fines civil liberties campaign.

FULL REPORT by @KianSimone44: https://t.co/ibguLAi4nr pic.twitter.com/oJYEx5MfOM

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) June 8, 2021

Reimer was also arrested and incarcerated early in 2023 for praying near drag queen story hours taking place at Calgary municipal libraries. Reimer was criminally charged with causing a disturbance and mischief.

Objecting to the Sexualization of Children Becomes a Crime in Trudeau's Canada - @TuckerCarlson

This afternoon, Pastor Derek Reimer was arrested for "mischief" and "causing a disturbance" after being violently thrown out of an all-ages drag queen story hour late last month. pic.twitter.com/Pxto30Dqiy

— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) March 3, 2023

Alan Honner, TDF's litigation director and Reimer's lawyer, says the trespassing charge stemming from his prayers at city hall makes little sense, stating, "Is the City of Calgary seriously saying you need a permit to pray in a municipal building?"

The application and trial are scheduled to be heard on February 6-7, 2024, at the Calgary Law Courts.