B.C.’s Court of Appeal has upheld a lower court’s decision, saying the province’s COVID-19 gathering and events restrictions were constitutionally valid. “The ban on in-person gatherings for religious worship fell within a range of reasonable outcomes and proportionately balanced the appellants’ freedoms with the attainment of critically important public health objectives,” the decision said. Most of the appellants were churches and their leaders: Alain Beaudoin, Brent Smith, John Koopmans, John Van Muyen, Riverside Calvary Chapel, Immanuel Covenant Reformed Church, and Free Reformed Church of Chilliwack brought the case. “There is absolutely no basis in the record for the religious appellants’ assertion that in-person worship services were prohibited, not because of the risks they posed, but because they were religious gatherings,” the appeal court said. Named as defendants were: the Province of British Columbia and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. The group challenged a March 18, 2021 decision by B.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson. He ruled that while the ban on in-person, indoor church services was an infringement on British Columbians’ charter rights, it was "reasonable and proportionate" under Section 1 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. That section states: “The Canadian Charter of Rights and […]
