Edmonton (CityNews) — After Alberta well being officers closed and fenced off a church charged with refusing to comply with COVID-19 well being guidelines, some Albertans are questioning why it took so lengthy.
Police and safety workers have been current Wednesday morning as double metallic fencing was put up round GraceLife church, simply west of Edmonton.
The dispute stretches again to earlier than Christmas when the church was first directed to adjust to well being guidelines. In late January, the church was ordered to shut.
But it surely took greater than two months for well being officers to shut it down.
“Clearly these aren’t new authorized powers,” stated Lorian Hardcastle, affiliate professor on the College of Calgary’s school of regulation. “This might have been performed at any time over the previous a number of months.”
However police stated the duty fell to Alberta Well being Companies, whereas AHS stated they have been nonetheless investigating. They tried different measures, reminiscent of arresting the church’s pastor James Coates.
Alberta Well being Companies have bodily closed GraceLife Church by placing up a fence across the church. RCMP are on web site stopping entry inside till GLC can exhibit the flexibility to adjust to Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Well being’s restrictions. #yeg #COVID19AB pic.twitter.com/HXBLuYMont
— Rachelle Elsiufi (@CityRachelle) April 7, 2021
The timing of the choice now comes as AHS factors to the rise of extra lethal variants of COVID-19 in Alberta — and the arrival of a brand new set of public-health restrictions.
“One of many reactions that the general public has to new restrictions is ‘what about those that aren’t complying,’” stated Hardcastle. “And that is most likely probably the most open instance of blatant and intentional noncompliance in all the province.”
In the meantime some members of the UCP caucus spoke out on the closure.
“We can not enable church buildings to be barricaded” stated MLA Dan Williams.
Attorneys representing GraceLife church say they plan to make this a constitution problem. They’re at the moment making an attempt to subpoena Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Well being Dr. Deena Hinshaw to testify on the subsequent court docket date set for Could 3.
“One of many issues the courts don’t like is an outright ban on the train of particular person rights,” stated Hardcastle. “And in Alberta we didn’t shut church buildings, the federal government tried to stroll that line.”
Since December, locations of worship in Alberta have been allowed to stay open at 15 per cent of fireside code capability whereas respecting provincial well being orders like masking and bodily distancing between households.
–with recordsdata from The Canadian Press
Extra of that “faux media” rhetoric. #gracelifechurch #COVID19AB pic.twitter.com/t3zzAzPRD8
— Rachelle Elsiufi (@CityRachelle) April 7, 2021
