![]() ![]() No one in Coates’ church has died of COVID-19, the church’s website said. ![]() Authorities charged GraceLife a $1,200 fine in December and sent the church a closure order in January. Violating COVID-19 quarantine laws is a criminal offense in Canada which can carry a penalty of up to $1 million in fines and three years in jail. If Coates split up services and told congregants to wear masks, he could keep his church open. Province leaders say Alberta has some of the lightest COVID-19 restrictions for churches in all Canada. Give a gift of $50 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive a copy of “The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism” by Tim Alberta. At first, another prisoner shared a cell with him, but when his case gained publicity, authorities removed the other prisoner from the cell.Ĭanada’s Alberta province arrested James Coates because he hosted church services at above 15% building capacity and without social distancing. James Coates’ wife, Erin Coates, told FaithWire news that he spent the first two weeks of prison in quarantine, mostly alone. He refused to leave prison on bail because doing so required that he agree to stop leading church services at full capacity. The government dropped all major charges against the pastor a minor charge for violating an order of the Chief Medical Officer of Health remains.Ĭoates has been in jail for nearly a month. Canadian pastor James Coates, who disobeyed the law to fully open his church, will be freed from jail, Canada’s government announced.Ĭoates will be released as early as March 19, according to Canada’s Justice Center for Constitutional Freedom (JCCF), which is representing Coates.
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