Trinity Bible Chapel in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada | Facebook/Trinity Bible Chapel
A judge in Ontario, Canada, has allowed authorities to temporarily lock the doors of a church that has refused to follow provincial restrictions on gatherings aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19.
The attorney general’s office for Ontario had police lock the doors of Trinity Bible Chapel of Waterloo through next Saturday to prevent in-person worship services.
The move came as part of a temporary injunction against the chapel in which Justice John Krawchenko concluded that closing the church was a matter of public safety.
“The risk of irreparable harm would be too great to ignore,” said Krawchenko, as reported by the CTV News. “The only way to ensure compliance is to lock the doors to the building, but not to their ministry.”
KITCHENER For the first time in weeks, the parking lot of Trinity Bible Chapel was empty on Sunday morning. Police, bylaw, and a locksmith were all seen parked out in front of the church on Saturday as court documents were posted on the front doors explaining why they were locked. G & A Locksmith in Kitchener has since received multiple one star reviews online since that specifically mentioned the chapel and the company’s involvement in locking the doors. In the same time period, a number of new five star reviews have also appeared. “We respect everyone’s ability to express their opinion and we will never shy away from allowing people to do so, positively or negatively,” an online post from G & A reads in part. “G & A Lock Security has been serving our community since 1966 and we will continue to do so without engaging in public issues. Completing a specific security task is not reflective of our company position on any given issue.”
Trinity Bible Chapel in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada | Facebook/Trinity Bible Chapel
A judge in Ontario, Canada, has allowed authorities to temporarily lock the doors of a church that has refused to follow provincial restrictions on gatherings aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19.
The attorney general’s office for Ontario had police lock the doors of Trinity Bible Chapel of Waterloo through next Saturday to prevent in-person worship services.
The move came as part of a temporary injunction against the chapel in which Justice John Krawchenko concluded that closing the church was a matter of public safety.
“The risk of irreparable harm would be too great to ignore,” said Krawchenko, as reported by the CTV News. “The only way to ensure compliance is to lock the doors to the building, but not to their ministry.”
KITCHENER The doors to Trinity Bible Chapel have been locked for the weekend after a judge granted a temporary injunction. The Attorney General s office asked for an order to have local law enforcement lock the doors on the property on Friday afternoon. Trinity is playing games with the court, said Richard Ogden, who was representing the Attorney General s office, in his closing arguments ahead of the judge s decision. Part of the Attorney General s office s arguments included 75 pages of historical legal interactions that individually mentioned each church elder, including the pastor. The factum repeatedly referred to the most recent Sunday services in April.
Doors locked at Trinity Bible Chapel after court order
Doors were locked at Trinity Bible Chapel this weekend after a judge granted the order requested by the provincial Attorney General’s office.
Social Sharing
CBC News ·
Posted: May 02, 2021 9:48 AM ET | Last Updated: May 2
Cars parked at Trinity Bible Chapel on Sunday, April 25, 2021. Doors have now been locked at the church.(Hala Ghonaim/CBC)
Doors were locked at Trinity Bible Chapel this weekend after a court order.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of the Attorney General said the province brought a motion on Friday seeking a civil contempt of court order in respect to church services held on April 25.