RCMP in Manitoba have been called in to investigate after a rural church in Manitoba broke COVID-19 regulations and hosted a service for more than 100 people – and have laid levied fines against the minister..Current laws dictate gatherings in Manitoba are limited to a maximum of five people and churches must be closed in an effort to stop the growing number of coronavirus cases in the province..Religious leaders must hold services via the internet..The church minister has now been slapped with two fines totalling nearly $2,600 for attending a protest against COVID-19 restrictions and being at a Sunday religious service..Tobias Tissen, minister at Church of God, confirmed he received two individual fines of $1,296 Monday night..“To be honest, I feel honoured to get these and that I received them for doing something that God wants me to do,” he said in an interview with CBC News..Mounties were called to the Church of God in Hanover, southeast of Winnipeg, about 8:30 a.m. on Sunday about multiple vehicles in the parking lot and a gathering inside..“It is believed there were well over 100 people inside the church, and the officers had to balance police and public safety when determining a response,” said RCMP spokesperson Julie Courchaine in an email to the CBC.. POLL: Many Albertans say they will ignore Christmas COVID lockdown .“This is currently still under investigation and RCMP are working closely with Manitoba Public Health on the matter.”.Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer, said he is aware of the reports of ongoing church services and urged them to stop..“It should be quite clear, these orders are not here to restrict your right to worship. These orders are here to save lives,” CBC reported Roussin said..“We can’t have in-person gatherings. Not with the positivity rates we’re seeing. It puts Manitobans at risk.”.The fine for individuals breaching the orders is $1,296 while corporations can be penalized with a $5,000 ticket..Manitoba has had more than 14,000 coronavirus cases resulting in 236 deaths..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.TWITTER: Twitter.com/nobby7694
