The Ontario Superior Court has ordered all three Old Colony Mennonite Churches in Chatham-Kent to obey COVID-19 restrictions or face hefty fines.
The Ministry of the Attorney General confirmed on Friday that a court injunction was granted on Thursday against the Churches in Wheatley, Dresden, and Charing Cross. The court injunction prevents them from breaking the Ontario Reopening Act with respect to gatherings for the purposes of "a religious service at, inside, or in conjunction with the operations of the Churches," said ministry spokesperson Miranda Prescott in a statement.
She added the ministry couldn't comment any further because the matter may be subject to litigation.
Chatham-Kent police started the process of seeking an injunction from the court a few weeks ago after weighing all of their law enforcement options to bring the local churches into compliance with COVID-19 laws.
Church members have racked up more than a dozen charges in the past six months after taking responsibility for various services held on Sundays.
The Attorney General’s office has already forced the closure of at least two defiant churches in Ontario. Judges ordered court injunctions to close the doors at the Church of God in Aylmer and Trinity Bible Chapel in Kitchener.
Police tried an education campaign for several months but the Churches continued having services. Chief Gary Conn said police took the approach to only charge the organizers of the gathering instead of everyone attending the service because many of the people attending the large gathering probably wouldn’t have been there if it wasn’t organized.
Chatham-Kent Chief Administrative Officer Don Shropshire said there were concerns about the number of people attending church services even with some of the COVID-19 restrictions being relaxed by the province. Shropshire added recent services have had far more people attend than what is currently allowed. Chatham-Kent police have responded to some services with 100 in attendance indoors.
