Church issued COVID-related violation ticket

A representative of a Kelowna church has been issued a fine for violating B.C.’s public health orders.

RCMP first responded to a report of people gathering at a place of worship, said to be the Harvest Ministries International church, in the 1600-block of Harvey Avenue on Dec. 6.

“Officers attended and took an educational approach regarding the current COVID-19 health regulations in an attempt to attain compliance from the congregation,” detachment spokesperson, Cpl. Jocelyn Noseworthy, said.

RCMP responded to another report of a large religious gathering at the same place of worship on Dec. 19. The complaint was investigated and a representative of the congregation was issued a violation ticket for $2,300 for failure to comply with an order of a health officer.

A leader at the church told Global News they will keep holding in-person events as they are an essential service.

“We want to acknowledge the vast majority of our community who are complying with the public health orders. This has been a challenging year, however now is not the time to gather,” said Supt. Kara Triance. “We will continue to work with our partners with the provincial health authorities and BC Prosecution Service as we actively investigate and take necessary enforcement action on reports of non-compliance with the provincial health orders.”