A pair of Old Colony Mennonite Churches in Chatham-Kent are still openly defying the Reopening Ontario Act.
Two more charges have been laid by police in Chatham-Kent this long weekend after two more illegal gatherings were held in Wheatley and Dresden on Monday.
Chatham-Kent police said they responded to a gathering at the Old Colony Mennonite Church on Grove Mills Line in Dresden Monday morning and charged a member of the church, a 38-year-old Dresden man. Police also responded to a gathering at the Old Colony Mennonite Church on Wheatley Road in Wheatley Monday morning and charged a member of the church, a 46-year-old Tilbury man. The two men were each charged with failing to comply with a continued order of the Reopening Ontario Act, which doesn't allow large gatherings.
It's the second day in a row a charge was laid against a member of the Old Colony Mennonite Church in Wheatley. A separate member of that church was also charged on Sunday. The latest charges are the 11th and 12th laid against members of the Old Colony Mennonite Churches in Chatham-Kent since late December. No names of the accused have been released to the public.
The Chief Administrative Officer for the Municipality of Chatham-Kent Don Shropshire previously said closing down the defiant churches 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 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.