Court dismisses case against N.B. pastor for holding services during COVID lockdown
A New Brunswick judge has dismissed a contempt of court case against a pastor accused of ignoring COVID-19 public health rules in 2021.
Chief Justice Tracey DeWare of the Court of King's Bench says in a Feb. 2 decision she was unable to conclude that a tent erected by Philip James Hutchings, pastor of His Tabernacle Family Church in Saint John, was "clearly and unequivocally" an enclosed space as defined by a provincial health order.
Defence lawyer Jonathan Martin says his clients are happy with the decision.
"This is a win for due process and also a win for government accountability against the drafting of vague regulations that provide limitless prosecutorial discretion," he said in an email.
In October 2021, authorities ticketed Hutchings and his associates for being in violation of the province's COVID-19 health order for holding weekly services inside their church. A month later, they tried to get around the rules by erecting a commercial tent with sidewalls, which were left open when the weather was warm but pulled down as it got colder, the decision says.
"Clearly a commercial tent with four sidewalls up cannot be considered an 'enclosed space' or 'public indoor space' on any interpretation given to the definition. Arguably, the commercial tent with four sidewalls down could fall with the parameters of an 'enclosed space,"' it says.
"However, as I write this decision, it is unclear to me when that occurs, and counsel for the applicant were unable to provide a clear answer to the question."
It is difficult for the court to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that in moving the services from the church to a tent, Hutchings and his church associates knew he was breaching the mandatory order, she said.
"I am unable to conclude that the commercial tent was 'clearly and unequivocally' an 'enclosed space' as described in the mandatory order, and as such, the respondents cannot be held in contempt."
The province's Health Department was not immediately available for comment.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 7, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.