A Chilliwack pastor ticketed for in-person worship during lockdowns has had the matter set aside in Provincial Court of B.C.
The Alberta-based Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms announced on Jan. 8 that both convictions had been “vacated” for Pastor John Koopman of the Free Reformed Church in Chilliwack.
In 2022 Koopman was charged with participating in worship services in 2020 and 2021, violating the in-person gathering prohibition during the COVID pandemic.
Part of the centre’s argument was that bars, restaurants, gyms, salons, and other venues for secular gatherings were permitted to operate on an “in-person” basis.
Justice Andrea Ormiston adjusted the court record this week after Crown acknowledged that two tickets issued against Pastor Koopman had already been voided by ICBC under section 18 of the Offence Act.
“As a result, the convictions entered on those tickets were legally invalid, and Pastor Koopman has been relieved of $460 in fines,” the Justice Centre release said. “This case shows the Crown acting responsibly to correct an error, while the British Columbia government has yet to acknowledge the serious injustice of banning worship services entirely.”
In 2022 Justice Ormiston found Koopman guilty, but she did not enter a conviction pending the constitutional challenge of the order itself, which eventually failed.
Lawyer Marty Moore called the COVID mandates “unreasonable.”
In 2022 Moore argued that the Justice Centre was committed to defending the constitutional freedoms of all Canadians, “including their freedom to worship and right to equal treatment under the law.”
“Sadly, we have yet to see Dr. Henry and the B.C. government take responsibility for the harm they caused by imposing unreasonable and overbroad Covid mandates and restrictions on British Columbians’ fundamental freedoms and liberty,” Moore said in the release.
Pastor Koopman said he “welcomed” the correction but also pointed out accountability remains lacking.
“The Crown’s acknowledgement of their error is welcomed,” Koopman said. “Dr. Henry and the government should carefully evaluate their entire approach, for this is only one of many errors which were made, the greatest of which is the restriction of the public worship of our God.”