Pastor James Coates of GraceLife Church near Edmonton. Photo by Screenshot Article content EDMONTON — An Alberta pastor, who has spent weeks in jail after holding church services in violation of public health rules, is expected to be released in the coming days, his lawyers say. James Coates is expected to have one of the charges against him withdrawn, another settled with a fine, but will be released to await trial on the third and final charge. The court has yet to accept this joint submission from the Crown and defence. The case has galvanized the faithful across Canada. Coates, the pastor of GraceLife Church, in Parkland County outside of Edmonton, has been at the centre of a debate about the clash between religious freedoms and pandemic public health restrictions. John Carpay is president of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, which is representing Coates. He says they’ll go to trial on the remaining charge in May. “The government will have to justify the violation of our Charter freedoms,” said Carpay. Article content Most provincial public health authorities have had gathering restrictions on religious services through the pandemic. Alberta restricts houses of worship to 15 per cent of fire […]
