Each Sunday morning-during the worship service-an AHS inspector, often accompanied by law enforcement, demanded entry to the building, went into the sanctuary, and recorded the number of people present and whether they were masked and distanced. In November, Alberta Health Services (AHS) officials began to show up and inspect the Church weekly. Grace Life has nearly 400 members, not one of whom has been lost to Covid, but sadly one congregant did die prematurely because he could not get the cancer treatment he needed because of Government restrictions. These restrictions interfere with the ability of the congregants to worship as their consciences direct, and are a violation of their constitutional rights to freedom of religion, expression, peaceful assembly and association as protected by section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Deena Hinshaw, limit Christian congregations to only 15% of sanctuary capacity and demand that all worshipers wear masks and socially distance from each other. Restrictions imposed in November and December by Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Yes, though vastly overblown, there are associated risks with Covid, as there are with other infections. We accept that risk due to the benefits of driving. Every time we get behind the wheel of a car, we are assuming a degree of risk. Protect the vulnerable, exercise reasonable precautions, but begin to live your lives again… Living life comes with risks. In fact, some say we are on the cusp of reaching the point of no return. Churches should open, businesses should open, families and friends should come together around meals, and people should begin to exercise their civil liberties again. “We believe should responsibly return to their lives. In a public statement, the church leadership states: “Even in the summer of 2020 it had become apparent to congregants of Grace Life that government lockdowns cause far more self-imposed harm than the natural harm of Covid,” stated James Kitchen, a lawyer with the Justice Centre, which is representing Pastor Coates and Grace Life Church. For those under 60, the overwhelming majority of the population, Covid is more or less like a bad flu season. All the available data show that the main factor in Covid fatality risk is advanced age and nursing home residency. Grace Life resumed in-person worship in June of last year, when it became clear that the Government’s initial dire predictions regarding the Wuhan Flu had been based on grossly inaccurate modelling. When the Alberta Government first imposed various restrictions on churches and gatherings in the spring of 2020, Grace Life suspended in-person worship services and streamed services online. Pastor Coates was taken into custody on February 16 and will likely be kept in prison at least until his trial in May. She and D'Amico face state charges, as well.Pastor James Coates of Grace Life Church, near Edmonton, Alberta, is being held without bond on criminal charges stemming from failure to limit his congregants to 15% of fire code capacity and practice social distancing. McClure pleaded guilty to a federal charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud this week. New Jersey prosecutors said the suit led them to start an investigation. Their relationship soured when Bobbitt sued the couple over what he said was their failure to turn money over to him. GoFundMe has said it has refunded the donations. The couple claimed the cash would be donated to Bobbitt, but New Jersey authorities said the three split the money and spent lavishly, including on a BMW, designer bags, and trips to Las Vegas and elsewhere. But the feel-good-story was based on a lie, prosecutors said. The online campaign raised more than $400,000 from 14,000 donors, made international headlines and led to media appearances by the trio. Authorities say they made up a story in 2017 about Bobbitt giving McClure $20 for gas when she was stranded along a Philadelphia highway. He had pleaded guilty Wednesday to a federal charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries up to 10 years.īobbitt conspired with 28-year-old Katelyn McClure, of Bordentown, New Jersey, and her then-boyfriend 39-year-old Mark D'Amico, of Florence, according to prosecutors. He faces five years of probation and was entered into the state's drug court program for nonviolent offenders. Thirty-six-year-old Johnny Bobbitt, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty Friday in New Jersey Superior Court to conspiracy to commit theft by deception. A homeless man pleaded guilty Friday to a state charge in a GoFundMe scheme that prosecutors say brought in $400,000 with a made-up story about him aiding a stranded driver.
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