Five charged after Friday night “marching”

Aylmer Police charged five persons involved in what was described as “marching” on John Street North in Aylmer near the downtown core on Friday, Jan. 29, just after 8 p.m.

Chief Zvonko Horvat said police had received a complaint about several persons marching around, and officers found a group in the area of Talbot and King streets.

The group scattered when police arrived, Chief Horvat said, but police identified five persons and laid charges of breaching Ontario’s pandemic emergency orders.

The five were an Aylmer man, 57, an Aylmer woman, 44, and Aylmer man, 46, a Malahide man, 22, and an Eden man, 38.

Herbert Hildebrandt, son of controversial Aylmer Church of God Pastor Henry Hildebrandt, posted an online video of what happened, and told the Express members of the congregation were out in family groups for “essential exercise.”

He described the police officers involved as “thugs.”

 

  • GL

    What a joke – I can hardly wait for spring when the Aylmer cops will be handing out citations for egregious outdoor acts such as mowing your lawn or weeding the garden. Thugs indeed. Ontario is now a police state.

    • SaneGuy

      GL, Ontario is not a police state – not even by the wildest definition of it. The hyperbole is so much fun though. Let’s give it a try:

      “I can hardly wait for spring when the Church of God parishioners will be tossing out Molotov cocktails in their efforts to promote unity and freedom. Thugs indeed/”

      Yes, somehow we’re going to evolve from ticketing people who break the law, to coming down just as hard on those that follow it, lol. C’mon man, that’s just being dishonest. We’re not on some slippery slope towards a fascist dictatorship, as much as you feel we are.

      • GL

        These people were a family unit walking down the street and the police harassed them, then hunted them down. Police state.
        Novel laws and expanded enforcement have changed the way we conduct every moment of our lives. Police state.

        • SaneGuy

          I am starting to see now that when you claim that others were afraid, that it was merely projection. The fear (mongering) is quite palpable with your posts.

          These people were a family unit walking down the street and the police harassed them, then hunted them down

          That’s quite the take on this event. Harassed, hunted…all hyperbole GL. It’s sensationalism, and does nothing for your case here.

          No doubt these law-abiding citizens were just out for exercise, and not doing this in a way to provoke a response. Not at all.

          • GL

            How else to police find individuals that scattered? yes I am afraid of the authorities these days. I have to look up new laws weekly and increasingly folks with no enforcement training are being deputized.
            A school bus can be full of kids. There can be 15 people in the Beer Store or 50 people in the grocery store…. but if two homeschool families pass in the park someone is calling the police. It’s nutty.

          • SaneGuy

            Weren’t you the one telling me “not to be afraid” and to “come out of my mom’s basement”? Pretty sure that was you. Nice to see that I was spot-on with my assumption about you projecting fear.

            I have to look up new laws weekly

            No you don’t. In fact, I’d be willing to bet a few gold doubloons you’ve never set foot on the Ministry of Justice’s website in the entirety of your existence.

            increasingly folks with no enforcement training are being deputized.

            The training of provincial and municipal police cadets has remained virtually unchanged in decades. If you are able to substantiate your claim, please do. I have a healthy skepticism of police forces myself, so I’d be happy to see the data that shows a measurable decline in the quality of cadet hires in the province.

            You must not have any elderly or children in your life that are suffering from this lock-down if you are so nonchalant about relinquishing basic rights.

            Again, your premise is predicated on the false assumption that our “basic rights” have been relinquished. Last I checked, I am still able to put in to practice every single Charter right.

            When will you post something other than fluff, hyperbole, and embellishments? The chicken little routine is getting old.

          • GL

            Fear of natural phenomena and fear of overreaching authorities with weapons come from two very different places.

            I never said the quality of police had gone down. But rather that during the emergency order than untrained folks are deputized. These are deemed in the new law ‘provincial offense officers’ and they are not trained police.

            And the laws ARE changing – as recently as last week the Ontario website and the city of Aylmer’s display at the Elgin Complex were in conflict on allowable gathering sizes. Last week i spoke to multiple elderly folks approaching the library that didn’t even know it was closed!

            As for charter rights – you’re delusional. Case in point this news article is able folks cited for assembling in the road. Freedom of assembly is a basic right. Families are having the cops called on them for passing another family on the city trail. No church for a year, people getting tickets for dropping their children for childcare, forced quarantine — our rights are most certainly fewer today than a year ago

          • SaneGuy

            I never said the quality of police had gone down.

            You implied it.

            folks with no enforcement training are being deputized.

            Unless your meaning of “deputized” doesn’t mean “hiring an officer of the peace”. Either way, an unsourced claim with no basis in reality.

            And the laws ARE changing – as recently as last week the Ontario website and the city of Aylmer’s display at the Elgin Complex were in conflict on allowable gathering sizes. Last week i spoke to multiple elderly folks approaching the library that didn’t even know it was closed!

            Oh, so we go from having to look up “the law” every week to simply stating the obvious…

            Are you the person running around the soccer field moving the goal posts all the time? You seem to do that a lot here.

            As for charter rights – you’re delusional. Case in point this news article is able folks cited for assembling in the road. Freedom of assembly is a basic right.

            Which you can still practice, with limitations in place so that the rest of the Charter rights aren’t infringed upon for the other 37 million Canadians. Your understanding of our Charter and how it works appears to be at an absolute minimum. Actually, I would say that you’re selfishly trying to push your rights over the rights of others, which is the reason we have Section 1, lol.

            No church for a year,

            Categorically and demonstrably false.

            people getting tickets for dropping their children for childcare,

            One person. Not people. She can fight the ticket in court, just like everyone else that gets one.

            forced quarantine

            We are in a public health emergency. Not sure if you noticed.

            our rights are most certainly fewer today than a year ago

            They absolutely are not. The Charter is still in place, and every single right listed in it is something that can be practiced by every Ontarian today, just as it could 1 year ago.

          • GL

            An Aylmer city employee just hollered at me from his truck that I was “flirting with a summons” for snow blowing my 80 year old neighbor’s driveway. So whatever you think you know about how this emergency nonsense is playing out in our little town, you are mistaken.

          • SaneGuy

            An Aylmer city employee just hollered at me from his truck that I was “flirting with a summons, stay at home means stay at home” for snow blowing my 80 year old neighbor’s driveway. So whatever you think you know about how this emergency nonsense is playing out in our little town, you are mistaken.

            25 Aylmer city employees, the mayor of Orwell, 6 citizens of Eden, and a busload of school children all hollered at me from various places “that I was not flirting with a summons”…

            Any time you want to talk about something other than meaningless anecdotes and baseless opinions, hit me up.

            I’ve been more than happy to engage in your flights of fancy, but as I said, the same song and dance from you grows stale.

          • GL

            Ahh, out-of-town troll doesn’t want real stories from the streets. Life is fine behind that keyboard in Kitchener.

          • SaneGuy

            Ahh, out-of-town troll doesn’t want real stories from the streets. Life is fine behind that keyboard in Kitchener

            Who’s the out of town troll? Me? That’s rich. Feel free to doxx me though, I’m curious to know how you arrived at this.

            If we’re going just by behavioral patterns alone GL, you are the one who has become a master in the art of projection, it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if you’re “from out of town”.

            Ignoring that, let’s focus once again on the fact that your anecdotes are meaningless. “Stories from the streets” include:

            – one well know publicized news event
            – you snowblowing your neaighbour’s driveway
            – you finding different ways to reframe my first point

          • GL

            You have said previously you are from Kitchener – if I am mistaking you for someone else, my apologies. I don’t post anywhere else so I don’t see you around or know your MO. I only see you here, where local folks are commenting on local issues on the forum of their local newspaper. I don’t recall you ever starting a conversation – you only jump in to tell others how they are wrong in describing their own personal experiences in our town.

          • SaneGuy

            You have said previously you are from Kitchener – if I am mistaking you for someone else, my apologies.

            You are mistaken.

            you only jump in to tell others how they are wrong in describing their own personal experiences in our town.

            I don’t say that your personal experience is wrong, only that your personal experience adds very little to the conversation.

            What I do say is wrong, is the litany of statements you present as fact, none of which you have provided any evidentiary support for. I feel bad for you if you feel “hunted” by the APS, but that’s no excuse to adopt some of the wildly naïve opinions you have about the virus, and the laws of Canada/Ontario.

            You have opined on the transmissibility of the virus, on churches not being vectors for the virus, on the legality of the lockdown, on the meaning of our Charter rights, etc, etc.

            You present opinions as fact.

            You present regurgitated crap from Facebook echo chambers as fact.

            Your entire understanding of this global pandemic is flawed, and requires more effort on your part to get up to speed on it.

            The congregation of the CoG is promulgating a level of ignorance that belongs in the 1st Century, not in the 21st Century. Their ignorance creates a public health risk, and runs up against the Charter Rights of everyone else (ohhhhh the irony).

            Anyone who flaunts public safety for their own selfish reasons should be held accountable.

          • GL

            I found the previous post where you said you were from KW.

          • SaneGuy

            Calling shenanigans here GL. If there’s a post where I state I’m either from/in/near KW, I’d love to see it.

            Hoping it’s just as easy to dig up some evidence for your other posts as well.

          • GL

            This is a community forum I come to voice support for those in my community, I’m not sure what narcissistic bubble you exist in that leads you to conclude that other commenters here should serve you up fully cited references to your every inquiry, I’m certainly not going to quote you to yourself – I don’t copy and paste for trolls.
            Today is Sunday yet again – bless those courageous souls across Canada whom will no doubt meet and hug and build community this day.

          • SaneGuy

            This is a community forum I come to voice support for those in my community,

            Me too.

            Except I’m here in an attempt to challenge people that are peddling lies, misinformation, and hogwash (e.g. you!).

            I’m not sure what narcissistic bubble you exist in that leads you to conclude that other commenters here should serve you up fully cited references to your every inquiry,

            GL, that’s how the world works. If you claim something as fact, than there should be basis for that statement.

            You claimed that the virus doesn’t spread asymptomatically – Not true.

            You claimed that no other virus spread asymptomatically – Not true.

            You claimed that churches aren’t vectors for the virus – Not true.

            You claimed I’m from KW – Not true.

            Etc…All I am asking is for you to support your claims. If you’re right, then I’d happy to change my views. The problem is, at least from where I am sitting, is that if you’re wrong, you wouldn’t do the same.

            I don’t copy and paste for trolls.

            No, I’m sure you don’t. Just as I suspect you do very little independent reading on this subject. However, I’ve made about 12 posts – not too difficult to pick out the one where I say I’m from KW.

            Today is Sunday yet again – bless those courageous souls across Canada whom will no doubt meet and hug and build community this day.

            As long as they don’t violate the law, or every one else’s Charter rights, then have at it.

            However, the CoG won’t be gathering today to celebrate their devotion to the Lord, they’ll be there because Henry wants the attention – that GL, is a narcissist. Isn’t that ironic, in a funny kind of way?

            If you can’t see it, then you’ve et to see the light.

            You claim that I am one in defense of an actual narcissist. Projection again. Neat! .

            I’ll be sure to give the service a supportive honk as a grab my groceries his morning.

            Ignorance is bliss GL.

  • Sam

    What a joke is right l seen it first hand. I ordered my supper on my phone Friday Jan 29th, and went up town to pick it up waiting outside the restaurant I seen group of 60 to 70 people all together and when they got to the main four corners they seen the cops and broke up into parties of 8 to 10 people they scurried each way until the police could stop two or three parties they knew they did wrong. Also in this past week’s sermon the Pastor Hildebrand the KING said and admitted Sunday at the end of his sermon that they know they did wrong. he said he had told the families to stay apart, rightttt!!, and somehow they all got together who’s playing the mouse and cat game there and who’s is the real thugs throughout all these issues in town.