Church leaders, not congregation, charged for recent Church of God service in Aylmer, Ont.

Police in Aylmer, Ont. have laid more charges in an ongoing fight with a religious leader, who they accuse of repeatedly violating the province's pandemic stay-at-home order. 

Police Chief Zvonko Horvat announced Monday, a 57-year-old male church leader and a 26-year-old man, both from Aylmer, had been charged with hosting an event that violated Ontario's gathering limits. 

The church itself, said Horvat, is also being charged. 

"For this particular event, we are looking at those individuals responsible for organizing," said Horvat, referring to Sunday's service. "We are continuing to review all the evidence we have. There is potential for more charges."

A live stream posted on the Church of God's Facebook page Sunday is focused on the church's pulpit, where Pastor Henry Hildebrandt can be seen leading the service. 

Before that, members of the congregation – young and old – can be seen singing in close proximity to each other, without wearing masks. 

Horvat said approximately 32 children were there. He also told CBC News that there were extra officers outside the church to monitor the event and gather evidence, but that they did not disrupt it.

Monday's charges came after Aylmer police ticketed 47 people for a similar gathering the previous Sunday. In that investigation, police said 29 individuals identified in video footage of the event lived in Aylmer while 18 had travelled from as far as away as the Greater Toronto Area. 

The town of Aylmer has logged 357 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began. There are currently eight active cases in the area.