Edmonton church, pastor convicted of obstructing public health inspector
CBC
An Edmonton church and one of its pastors have been found guilty of violating Alberta's Public Health Act six times.
Last Wednesday, provincial court Judge Shelagh Creagh found Church in the Vine, located at 12345 149 Street in northwest Edmonton, and pastor Tracy Fortin guilty of six counts of obstructing a public health inspector.
The lawyer representing the church and Fortin said he expected the convictions.
"It wasn't a big surprise," James Kitchen told CBC News.
"Basically, the public health inspector showed up at church during worship service Sunday morning and said she wanted to come in. The pastor said no, and of course when you do that, you trigger section 71 of the Public Health Act, which says public health inspectors can pretty much come in whenever and however they want."
According to court documents, the church and Fortin obstructed a health officer on March 7, 2021, March 14, 2021, and on June 6, 2021.
On her Facebook page, Fortin explained that she stopped the inspector from entering because past visits had been disruptive and disturbing.
Fortin did not respond to a CBC request for an interview.
A photo of a smiling Fortin with her husband and lawyer was taken just outside the Edmonton courtroom after they were convicted and was also posted on Facebook.
At last Sunday's church service she explained that moment to the congregation.
"When we first stepped out of the courtroom, I think we might have surprised them or caught them a little off guard," Tracy Fortin said in the video of the service that has been posted online . "We went, 'Yay. We're guilty.'"
She told the congregation that the guilty verdicts made her feel more 'emboldened'.
"That's just man's verdict," Fortin said. "Whenever man's verdict does not line up with the word of God, it's simple. It's a lie. And we don't receive it."
A sentencing hearing will be held on May 25 and the church is fundraising in advance to cover expected fines.
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