P.A. Church resolves legal matters; COVID fine stayed

A Prince Albert church group is no longer on the hook for a $14,000 fine it received from government authorities in October, after allegedly violating public health orders and provincial COVID-19 guidelines.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General, Public Prosecutions assesses each case individually to determine whether it meets the prosecution standard, and may only proceed with a case where they have a reasonable likelihood of conviction and where it is in the public interest to do so.

“The standard was not met in this case, as the evidence did not provide a reasonable likelihood of conviction,” the Ministry wrote in an email to paNOW.

The Ministry went on to explain it was their understanding that public health authorities have been able to meaningfully engage with the Full Gospel Outreach Centre to ensure its practices comply with public health orders.

“As a result of this and other circumstances in this case, it was determined that it was not in the public interest to proceed,” the Ministry said.

On Oct. 7, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) declared a multi-jurisdictional outbreak of COVID-19 stemming from a series of events held at the P.A. church from Sept. 14 to Oct. 4. The place of worship was subsequently fined $14,000 with SHA reminding the public of “very serious consequences for not following Public Health Orders, including fines in cases where negligence or misconduct have been found.”

SHA said over 80 people ultimately tested positive for COVID-19 as those who attended the church gatherings passed on transmission to others in the city and beyond.

The Church’s Pastor Vern Temple was not available for comment Friday, when paNOW attempted to contact him by phone.

The Alberta lawyer representing Full Gospel Outreach explained in a previous statement religious groups — and street churches in particular — have been targeted by authorities during the pandemic and the case would revolve, in part, around the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Meanwhile, Temple said the government had been “unbalanced” in its enforcement of the laws and argued health officials don’t understand the importance of spiritual gatherings.