Several thousand dollars worth of tickets were handed out by enforcement officers at a meeting of The Church of God (Restoration) this past Sunday that directly went against public health orders.

In his COVID-19 enforcement update today, Premier Brian Pallister noted that one $5,000 business fine was issued to the church, located near the Pansy corner, and six $1,296 fines to individuals in attendance of the service.

“I appreciate the work of the RCMP in blocking off the parking lot in one particular example,” said Pallister, referencing the actions of police who only allowed five vehicles into the Church of God parking lot on Sunday. “If you can prevent the gathering from happening, that is probably better than ticketing it after it happens.”

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A total of 202 warnings and 100 tickets were issued last week including:
-22 $5,000 tickets to businesses for various offences;
-48 $1,296 tickets to individuals for various offences;
-23 $298 tickets for failure to wear a mask in indoor public places; and
-seven band bylaw tickets were issued by Manitoba First Nations Police Service.

A total of $181,574 in fines were issued last week, up from $126,082 the week prior.

Since enforcement efforts began in April, a total of 663 warnings and 353 tickets have been issued, resulting in more than $549,846 in fines to businesses and individuals.

The public is reminded that indoor and outdoor gatherings in public places right now are restricted to no more than five. The Manitoba government encourages Manitobans to continue to stay active and enjoy the outdoors in groups of five people or less.