From here:
Christian pastor Tim Stephens was arrested a second time by members of the Calgary Police Service yesterday for allegedly breaking COVID-19 health rules. The pastors’ kids were in tears as they witnessed their father being hauled away by cops from their home.
Previously, police had searched for and discovered the location of Stephens’ underground church service last Sunday by using a helicopter.
What exactly are these COVID rules, you may be wondering. I have no idea because, although this G7 bunch appear to be breaking them, no one is arresting them. Some animals are more equal than others.
I think this man needs a good lawyer. Is such an arrest legal?
He has good legal representation in the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms. Here is their press release following this second arrest: https://www.jccf.ca/pastor-tim-stephens-arrested-illegally-again/
No, the arrest is not legal. The rules he has been arrested under violate Section 2 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and in a way that cannot possibly be said to meet the standards set by the Supreme Court of Canada for when limits on basic constitutional rights and freedoms can be considered justified under the reasonable exceptions clause of Section 1 in the Oakes ruling of 1986. The courts have, unfortunately, been very reluctant to enforce constitutional restrictions on the government during the pandemic and have delayed issuing rulings in controversial cases that could bring the matter before the SCC.
It is good to see declining active COVID-19 cases in Alberta. On May 7, 2021, there were 552.2 active COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people. Due to lockdowns and other restrictions, active cases/100,000 have come down, e.g., 538.2 on May 15; 349.5 on May 22; 209.1 on May 29; 122.1 on June 5; 79.6 on June 12; and 59.4 on June 17. etc.
Lockdowns worked in Alberta. On May 7, there were 552.2 active COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in Alberta. On June 26, the numbers are down to 33.8. No wonder, Sydney in N.S.W., Australia has gone into a two-week lockdown after more than 80 cases of Delta variant were confirmed in the city in the past seven days.
Yes, I do think that we have a duty to steer our David away from the wilder notions of the lunatic fringe, e.g. anti-vaccing … But the authorities need to act within the law every time, even when they act in the urgent interests of public health.