Posted: May 04, 2021 8:01 PM MT | Last Updated: May 5
A church service that took place at GraceLife Church on Dec. 13, 2020 is shown in this handout image taken by a health inspector with Alberta Health Services and provided by the Provincial Court of Alberta. (Provincial Court of Alberta handout via The Canadian Press)
A lawyer for an Alberta pastor accused of violating COVID-19 rules says the province's health agency decided to penalize the church leader as a way to censor him.
James Kitchen told the trial of James Coates that his client was charged the same day he preached a sermon criticizing Alberta's leadership on the pandemic.