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Prince Albert church at centre of COVID-19 outbreak fined $14,000
A photo originally posted to Facebook has been digitally altered to blur the faces of attendees. The photo shows a religious gathering held at the Full Gospel Outreach Centre in Prince Albert. Photo by facebook /Regina Leader-Post
Prince Albert’s Full Gospel Outreach Centre, which has been linked to a gospel revival outreach event tied to dozens of cases of COVID-19 in multiple communities, has been fined $14,000.
The province announced a $14,000 fine for a corporation for non-compliance with the public health act order and reopen Saskatchewan guidelines for places of worship Sunday. That amount includes a $10,000 fine and a $4,000 surcharge.
A Prince Albert church will contest in court the large fine it received from government authorities in October for violating public health orders and provincial COVID-19 guidelines.
The Alberta lawyer who will represent Full Gospel Outreach says religious groups and street churches in particular have been targeted by authorities during the pandemic and the case will revolve, in part, around the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Meanwhile, the church’s pastor says the government has been “unbalanced” in its enforcement of the laws and argues health officials don’t understand the importance of spiritual gatherings.
The church’s legal costs will be paid for by the far-right political online media outlet Rebel News, which has run a crowdfunding campaign to give legal assistance to those who, as they say, “have received a lockdown ticket.”
“I took this case because I am concerned with the ‘laws’ being made across the country by non-legislators. Orders, like the current Public Health Order made Nov. 26, 2020, for Saskatchewan, are being published at a fast rate with seemingly little regard for any other aspect of society besides public health.” Miller said the COVID-19 response is unprecedented, and law enforcement is scrambling to find ways to enforce laws, which never existed before. “Often, I’ve seen their inexperience with these new structures result in misapplication of the law and Charter breaches.” The church’s first court appearance is scheduled in Prince Albert Provincial Court on March 1.