KITCHENER -- For the first time in weeks, the parking lot of Trinity Bible Chapel was empty on Sunday morning.
Two Waterloo regional police cruisers parked across from the Woolwich Township church were the only vehicle activity seen in the area after a judge granted a temporary court injunction to lock the building’s doors.
Police, bylaw, and a locksmith were all seen parked out in front of the church on Saturday as court documents were posted on the front doors explaining why they were locked.
G & A Locksmith in Kitchener has since received multiple one star reviews online since that specifically mentioned the chapel and the company’s involvement in locking the doors.
In the same time period, a number of new five star reviews have also appeared.
“We respect everyone’s ability to express their opinion and we will never shy away from allowing people to do so, positively or negatively,” an online post from G & A reads in part. “G & A Lock Security has been serving our community since 1966 and we will continue to do so without engaging in public issues. Completing a specific security task is not reflective of our company position on any given issue.”
Lisa Bildy, the lawyer representing Trinity Bible Chapel, declined an interview with CTV News on Sunday, but did issue a statement via email.
“This week we expect to file evidence to show why access to at least part of the building is appropriate, and also cross examine some of the government’s witnesses,” the statement reads in part. “We didn’t’ get much opportunity to do that last week, as the Attorney General’s team of lawyers was still serving us with affidavits in the last minutes before the constitutional challenge as well.”
The temporary court injunction that allowed the doors to be locked is only valid for this week.
Both the church and the Attorney General’s office will return to the courtroom in the coming days.
