File - The provincial health officer of B.C. Dr. Bonnie Henry during a news conference. Victoria, B.C. (The Canadian Press)
BC has lost its application for a court injunction to halt services at three Fraser Valley churches whose members are defying rules against in-person gatherings.
Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson turned down the application this morning after saying last week that the province was putting the court in an "impossible situation" by asking for it.
The Attorney General's ministry and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry requested the injunction after the three churches filed a petition alleging the ban on religious gatherings violates the rights of parishioners.
The Riverside Calvary Chapel in Langley, the Immanuel Covenant Reformed Church in Abbotsford and Free Reformed Church of Chilliwack filed the petition last month.
Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson says health orders already prohibit specific gatherings, including religious ones, and the province has the power to escalate enforcement if it chooses.