As James Coates remains behind bars, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced charges against the Edmonton, Alberta, church he pastors.
The RCMP charged GraceLife Church on Wednesday for violating COVID-19 restrictions put in place by the Alberta Health Services, which ordered the church to restrict occupancy of its sanctuary to 15% or less of the building’s total operational capacity, according to the Edmonton Journal.
Legal counsel for GraceLife said the church was served with a summons on March 4 to appear in court May 5. Police are charging the congregation “for exceeding the 15% allowable capacity for the services held on Feb. 21 and Feb 28, 2021.”
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According to the RCMP, the church has continued to hold worship services without limiting occupancy and is, therefore, “guilty of an offense.” The church was fined $1,200 in December for violating capacity limits.
“The Parkland RCMP supported the AHS investigation at GraceLife Church this past Sunday,” the summons stated. “The Church was non-compliant with the Public Health Order in that it was over the allowed capacity. The RCMP members were present for public safety and to support AHS, and did not go inside the church.”
In mid-December, AHS inspector Janine Hanrahan issued an order against GraceLife, mandating the church to limit its occupancy to just 15% of its total capacity. The order also demanded all members wear masks and follow social distancing guidelines. The government agency filed an application in January, requesting to enforce the order through the courts.
The application, which named Coates, was approved and gave AHS the power to jail the minister if he continued to hold worship services in violation of government edicts, according to the Justice Centre, which is representing Coates.
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By the end of January, AHS issued another order, demanding Coates “immediately close” GraceLife “until such time as the premises comes into compliance” with governmental rules.
Coates, though, continued preaching to the church’s roughly 400 attendees. The pastor was arrested following a Valentine’s Day sermon on Feb. 14 and has remained behind bars as he awaits trial, scheduled for May 3-5.
The RCMP and AHS are continuing to investigate GraceLife.