Leon Fontaine, leader of Springs Church, passes away
CTV
Springs Church leader Pastor Leon Fontaine has died.
Springs Church leader Pastor Leon Fontaine has died.
An associate pastor with Springs Inner City in Winnipeg confirmed in a Facebook post that the pastor died on Saturday.
Fontaine, along with his wife Sally was the lead pastor at Springs. The church has two locations in Winnipeg and one Calgary.
He was involved with various organizations associated with the church, including president of Springs Christian Academy, CEO of Miracle Channel, a Christian television station in Lethbridge, Alberta. Fontaine was also an author, spoke at conferences, and hosted two shows, The Spirit Contemporary Life and The Leon Show, according to his online biography.
Fontaine was a well-known Christian speaker across the country, but controversies during the COVID-19 pandemic drew attention to the church.
A public graduation ceremony for Springs College in May 2021 drew criticism after images were shared online of the unmasked ceremony. The church was ticketed, and at the time, Fontaine released a statement defending the ceremony, saying it was following health orders.
At the height of COVID-19 restrictions on Manitoba in December 2020, Fontaine and Springs took the Province to court, calling for drive-in services to be allowed. The request was denied, but a short while later, health orders were amended to allow drive-in services.
