The Crown applied for a restraining order under s. 9 of the Reopening Ontario Act to prevent the respondents from contravening COVID-19 public health restrictions at three churches. The court found that the Crown established clear and repeated breaches of capacity limits, masking, and physical distancing requirements. The respondents failed to establish any exceptional circumstances, such as a pre-existing Charter right or evidence that the unlawful conduct would cease. The application was allowed and the restraining order was issued.
Chatham Court File No.: CV-21-00000751-0000 Date: 2021-06-28 Superior Court of Justice – Ontario
Re: Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Ontario, Applicant And: Old Colony Mennonite Church, Trustees of Old Colony Mennonite Congregation, Peter Guenther, Jacob Fehr, Frank Peters, Jacob Neufeld, Gerhard Thiessen, Aaron Unger, and Jacob Wiebe, Respondents
Before: Howard J.
Counsel: Ananthan Sinnadurai, Andi Jin, and Kevin Gray, for the Applicant
