Charges dropped against GraceLife Church pastor James Coates
Posted August 30, 2023 2:30 pm.
Last Updated August 30, 2023 2:39 pm.
An Alberta pastor who spent a month in an Edmonton jail for refusing to agree to a bail condition requiring him to comply with COVID-19 health orders was acquitted Wednesday.
Charges against GraceLife Church and its pastor James Coates were dropped and a COVID-related ticket was dismissed.
It follows a recent court decision – Ingram v. Alberta – in which a judge determined COVID-19 health restrictions imposed by the Government of
Alberta were not valid because they breached the province’s Public Health Act, as pandemic health decisions were made by elected officials and not the Chief Medical Officer of Health.
Coates was not in the Stony Plain courtroom Wednesday to hear the conclusion of a case that made national headlines.
BACKGROUND:
- Alberta pastor to be released, faces $1,500 fine
- GraceLife church pastor leads first sermon since release from jail
- Alberta government wanted to censor church pastor on trial: lawyer
Coates was arrested and jailed in mid-February 2021 for violating gathering restrictions by holding church services. He was held at the Edmonton Remand Centre for 35 days after refusing bail conditions.
Officials said the services at the Parkland County church – just west of Edmonton – were ignoring measures on capacity limits, physical distancing and masking.
Coates was released March 22 after pleading guilty to breaching a court undertaking.
The pastor argued provincial regulations meant to curb the spread of COVID-19 infringed on his and his congregants’ constitutional right to freedom of religion and peaceful assembly.
Tensions were high in Parkland County in April 2021 when the church was closed by Alberta Health Services (AHS), and large fences were installed at the property.
WATCH: Protesters gather at GraceLife Church (April 12, 2021)
In June 2021, a judge has ruled Coates’ religious freedoms were not violated.
Following the Ingram v. Alberta ruling last week, another high-profile case reached its conclusion; all charges were dropped against Red Deer’s Whistle Stop Cafe owner Chris Scott.
