By Timothy Himes

On April 7 2021, the RCMP swarmed GraceLife Church in Edmonton, Alberta and proceeded to fence off the building, and eventually the entire church property.

This is in reaction to Pastor James Coates violating Alberta Health Services restrictions again and returning to the pulpit on March 28, a week after spending 35 days in a maximum security prison for this very same thing. GraceLife Church is to remain closed until “it can demonstrate the ability to comply with AHS restrictions”.

The church had previously defied AHS orders beginning in December, causing a closure order to be issued in January. In February, the church was charged with exceeding the allowable capacity of 15%.

The pastor was imprisoned and only released when he pleaded guilty to a charge of breaching bail. He was also fined $1500 however, the judge stated his 35 days in custody would count as credit for the fine.

For weeks now, the property has dozens of officers standing on watch while a constant vigil of protestors, sometimes hundreds, gather at the roadside. The adjoining property is owned by a church member who has allowed the protestors to use his land in order to avoid fines.

The result is, instead of a short weekly gathering, there is now a large ongoing vigil of sometimes hundreds. Their plan to limit gatherings seems to have backfired. Small church services have taken place there in the open field. Larger services have taken place at secret locations, to avoid $1200 tickets, with several hundred in attendance.

Some incidents have arisen, including protestors mistakenly parking on First Nations lands, and a section of fence being pulled down on April 11. Protestors helped to restore the fence, realizing it’s only symbolic of the greater issue. Tempers flared as opposing views were exchanged. It concluded with one of the instigators being charged by police.

Still now (April 24th) the church remains in police custody.

Incidentally, what is the cost of having 30 RCMP officers guard a church around the clock? Is this what we pay them for? Are there no real crimes happening anymore? Are we really ok with this?

Not far away though, thousands of people are shopping at West Edmonton Mall everyday, but a few hundred people are forbidden from gathering for their weekly worship service.

The photo of the church wrapped with an 8 foot steel fence is shocking but serves as a perfect reminder of all our rights and freedoms that are in jeopardy. This goes beyond religious freedom. Every Canadian should be greatly offended and be speaking out, loudly, against such strong overreach by the government.

I really can’t believe this is happening in Canada and that there isn’t more outrage over such a repulsive series of events. This police occupation of a church amounts to religious persecution!

Section 176 of the Criminal Code of Canada clearly states that a person who obstructs a religious service is guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment.

When did we stop following the rule of law in Canada? Pastor Coates now awaits his approaching trial on May 3 where he, and the church, will be represented by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms. (JCCF.ca) Although the JCCF has prepared extensive scientific and expert witness medical evidence, the defence is being denied the opportunity to challenge the constitutional validity of the chief medical officers orders. As well, the government will not be required to produce scientific evidence in support of CMO Deena Hinshaw’s orders.

Lawyer John Carpay, president of the Justice Centre, states:

“After 13 months of violating Charter freedoms, the Alberta Government refuses to present evidence in support of lockdowns in Court, and unfortunately the courts have permitted the government to delay facing accountability in regard to Charter violations. Is it clear that the government’s approach to any challenge to its lockdown policies is to withhold the evidence and delay as long as it can. By May 3, the government will have had 14 months to assemble proper medical and scientific evidence to justify lockdowns and the resulting violations of our fundamental Charter freedoms. For the Alberta Government to request that it not be required to provide evidence on May 3 in support of Dr. Hinshaw’s Orders, while at the same time barricading the church, is both reprehensible and pathetic.

The Alberta Government supposedly has enough medical and scientific evidence to shut down hundreds of small businesses, pushing many of them into bankruptcy, and to cancel over 20,000 medically necessary surgeries, and to force Albertans into a third lockdown. But when asked to produce this medical and scientific evidence at trial, the Alberta government declares itself incapable of doing so.

Pastor Coates is defending freedom of association and freedom of peaceful assembly, which are freedoms exercised by the entire population, not just churchgoers. This is likely the first time in Canadian history that a federal or provincial government has directly restricted religious freedom. Unscientific and arbitrary health orders have been imposed by an unelected and politically appointed doctor, whose Orders are not scrutinized by elected Members of the Legislative Assembly.”

So these folks hope to continue their vicious charade while making a mockery of the justice system. The public now knows they’ve been continually lied to throughout the past year. Maybe we can start placing bets on exactly which day this house of cards will collapse?

It would be laughable if there wasn’t so much devastation resulting from these lockdowns. The GraceLife congregation has shown, with their continued secret Sunday services, that the building isn’t the church, it’s in fact, the people.

I commend their faith and perseverance in the face of such corrupted forces. At its core, this is really a spiritual battle.