Nova Scotia pastor brags about defying public health order in online video

Due to the Omicron variant being highly contagious, faith groups have been advised that congregational signing is not permitted at this time in Nova Scotia.

A Baptist pastor who attended a multi-day faith gathering in October 2021 that led to a COVID-19 outbreak linked to three deaths says his congregation will continue to sing, despite the public health order.

In a video posted to YouTube on Monday for his congregation, pastor Brandon Lake criticized the government’s COVID-19 restrictions, saying that freedoms are being stripped away.

“We tend to forget about it sometimes but we are actually under a rule right now in our province that you’re not allowed to sing in church,” said Lake.

Singing has been considered a high-risk activity during COVID-19 because of the spread of aerosol droplets. Due to the Omicron variant being highly contagious, faith groups have been advised that congregational singing is not permitted at this time in Nova Scotia. That includes choirs and groups of singers. Singing can still be performed by a single singer during a faith gathering.

“I’m not going to stop singing praises to my Lord in my church because some knothead up in Halifax thought it’d be a good idea to tell people to stop that,” said Lake in his video.

Lake was among dozens of people who attended a multi-day faith event hosted by Gospel Light Baptist Church in Amherst. The host of the event did not require that attendees show proof of vaccination, which went against public health orders at the time.

That event was then linked to a spike in COVID-19 cases in both the Northern and Western health zones as well as an outbreak at the Easter Cumberland Lodge seniors home in Pugwash, N.S. Three deaths were ultimately linked to cases stemming from the event.

The host of the event, pastor Robert Smith, was issued a fine by the province’s enforcement team of $2,422.