Former federal Opposition leader Stockwell Day has blasted Alberta Health Services and RCMP for barricading the GraceLife Church, saying it would bring “gleeful howls” from dictators around the world.
At dawn Wednesday, AHS and RCMP raided the church and built a wall around it until the church complies with Alberta’s public health measures.
The church, just outside Edmonton, under Pastor James Coates, has been breaking COVID-19 lockdown regulations every Sunday by holding packed services.
Coates recently spent 35 days in the Edmonton Remand Centre after turning himself in for breaking COVID-19 public health measures.
Day, a former federal and provincial cabinet minister, carved the decision on the GraceLife when he took to Twitter.
“The visual of the Alberta Govt+ armed police encircling a church and building a fence is a first in Canadian history+has gone globally viral. Whichever side of the fence you are on just imagine the gleeful howls from emboldened dictatorships who imprison+persecute people of faith,” Day tweeted.
He also blasted Premier Jason Kenney and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw for putting Alberta into a third COVID-19 lockdown.
“Alberta’s Lock’Up’. We predicted this. And it’s not over ‘in a few weeks’. Dr.Hinshaw says months. The strange refusal a year ago to begin designation of stand-alone Covid treatment centres to care for the infected+keep hospitals open would have been less costly socially+financially,” he said.
Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard
Dave Naylor is News Editor & Calgary Bureau Chief of the Western Standard based in the Calgary Headquarters.
He served as City Editor of the Calgary Sun & covered Alberta news for nearly 40 years.
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