“The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms is pleased to announce that Pastor Timothy Stephens of Fairview Baptist Church was released from the Calgary Remand Centre earlier today. Pastor Stephens has been in jail since Monday, June 14. The Justice Centre also confirms that Fairview Baptist Church in Calgary, and Grace Life Church near Edmonton, have been unchained and released from government seizure and will be returned to their congregations effective today. Alberta’s public health orders are subject to Charter challenges in two separate court actions, both dating back to 2020. ‘While refusing to present any medical or scientific evidence in court to justify public health orders, the Alberta government has gained international notoriety by jailing three different pastors,’ states Jay Cameron, Justice Centre Litigation Director. On the afternoon of Monday, June 14, the Calgary Police Service (CPS) arrived at Pastor Stephens’ house and arrested him in front of his wife and eight distraught children. This June 14 arrest of Pastor Stephens relates to an alleged outdoor church service held on June 6, 2021 in Calgary, with about 200 congregants of Fairview Baptist church. A police helicopter was deployed to search for and detect this peaceful outdoor gathering, and to collect evidence against Pastor Stephens of non-compliance with public health restrictions. The Alberta government has failed to produce any evidence that outdoor services are a threat to public health. The Kenney government in Alberta, including Health Minister Tyler Shandro and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Deena Hinshaw, have engaged in a months-long systematic attack on peaceful worship, arresting and incarcerating three Christian pastors for the ‘offence’ of peacefully gathering to worship, and barricading the pastors’ churches with an intimidating show of police force of scores of officers. Pastors and congregants were issued tickets totaling tens of thousands of dollars, and churches had their locks changed and double and triple fencing erected around them. Health officials and police worked in consort to spy on congregants and church leadership. ‘The Alberta Crown has failed entirely to produce evidence to justify its tyrannical lockdowns, a prerequisite under the Charter to justify lockdowns measures that have inflicted much harm on Albertans in the past fifteen months,’ concludes Cameron.”
“Pastor Tim Stephens Freed,” jccf.ca, July 1, 2021