Fifteen months after being charged with violating public health orders under the Reopening Ontario Act, the Crown had dropped all charges against Church of God Pastor Henry Hildebrandt.
According to the Justice Centre for Constitutional Reform, the organization representing Hildebrandt and former MP Derek Sloan and former MPP Randy Hillier, the Crown dropped the charges stating prosecution was no longer in the public interest.
The charges were dropped Monday in a Simcoe courtroom.
In June 2021, the three were charged for participating in a demonstration in Norfolk. There were approximately 200-300 people at the outdoor demonstration against the COVID measures implemented by the Ontario government.
“Peaceful demonstration is an essential pillar of a democratic society,” wrote Justice Centre lawyer Henna Parmar in a media release.
“Citizens have the right to make their opinions known. We are pleased in this case to hear that the Crown will not proceed with prosecuting citizens who spoke out against harsh government lockdowns.”
According to the Justice Centre for Constitutional Reform the three men “were concerned with the COVID restrictions – health orders which significantly curtailed the right to peaceful protest.
“For exercising their Charter rights to assemble peacefully and protest the government measures, they were charged with offences carrying potential fines of $100,000 to each individual as well as up to one year in prison.”
At the height of the pandemic, Hildebrandt held outdoor services in the Church of God parking lot. The services then moved indoors in defiance of provincial COVID-19 rules resulting in fines and contempt of court rulings.
In May of 2021, Superior Court Justice Bruce Thomas ordered the doors of the church to be locked.
Written by Ian McCallum