Pastor Michael Thiessen, alongside his legal team with the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF), are celebrating a recent victory after charges against Pastor Thiessen, for violating the Opening Ontario Act, were dismissed.

The charges were originally laid April 25th, 2021, and the subsequent trial date had been set for September 14th, 2024.

In the weeks prior to Pastor Thiessen’s charges, the Ontario government had declared a province-wide state of emergency, placing everyone under a stay-at-home order in an attempt to ‘curb transmission of the covid virus’.

A complaint had been received against Pastor Thiessen, alluding to church services exceeding mandated capacity limits. This resulted in the church being placed under surveillance by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). The day the charges were issued the officer on duty witnessed two services being provided. After the first service ended, the officer stopped congregation members as they were leaving to threaten them with fines for having attended. Soon after they stopped the pastor himself and issued fines for his role in facilitating these services.

A key argument of their defence spoke to the violation of Section 10(b) of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms detailing the right to retain and instruct council without delay; a standard that apparently was not honoured. His legal team pointed out that Mr. Thiessen “should have immediately been informed of his right to counsel upon being detained by the police officer.”

John Carpay, President of the JCCF, stated in conclusion “We are pleased that taxpayer-funded resources will no longer be devoted to this prosecution, which had been carried on pursuant to unscientific laws that were unjustified violations of our Charter rights and freedoms”.

It appears, in case after case, that the charges doled out to thousands of Canadians during the duration of the mandates were an intentional attempt to intimidate people into compliance without any intention of following through. Perhaps because they knew there would be no hope of success, or because it was a planned tactic all along.

To read the article written by Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms. click here