The number of charges laid against protesters who attended an anti-lockdown rally held in Chatham almost a month ago stands at five.
The Municipality's Chief Administrative Officer reported no new charges or additional information on Thursday. Don Shropshire said the latest number he had was five people charged. None of the charged has been identified.
About 300 protesters without masks gathered at Tecumseh Park in downtown Chatham on April 26, 2021 calling for "No More Lockdowns." Under the Reopening Ontario Act, large gatherings are not permitted.
The Municipality has six months to lay charges and more could be announced in the future.
Meantime, the Municipality is backing away from the proposition of fencing off defiant churches like what happened at a church just outside of Edmonton in April. Shropshire said closing them down for holding illegal services is still a possibility but it's not the preferred method. He noted the Municipality has been trying to educate the public about the COVID-19 restrictions for over a year and would rather convince them to be compliant. Shropshire added fines can escalate for repeat offenders, but said that hasn't happened in Chatham-Kent yet.
"The best way and the most efficient way is to try to get everybody on side and respect [the law] but closures are a possibility for refusing to comply," said Shropshire.
Under provincial law, Chatham-Kent Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Colby has the authority to close down a facility if it's disobeying the rules and said it's a last resort.
"It's a little bit like wearing a belt and suspenders to issue a closure order because the provincial law is very clear about what churches are allowed to do and not allowed to do," he said.
Colby points to the recent closure of a church in Aylmer by a judge as an example. He said the legal system in Ontario is looking at that precedent very carefully and if there is continued non-compliance, there is a mechanism there to shut down churches that continue to violate the Reopening Ontario Act.