As a chilly November darkness settled over Montreal last week, worshippers inside a downtown church were raising their hands in praise, swaying to the music of American worship leader Sean Feucht. The scene inside – described by attendees as “spiritually electric” – stood in stark contrast to the administrative storm brewing outside.
Montreal officials have now slapped the church with a hefty fine for hosting the controversial evangelical figure without proper permits, raising questions about religious expression, public safety regulations, and the increasingly complex intersection between the two in Canadian cities.
The November 14th event at Église Le Chemin, a small but growing congregation in the heart of Montreal, drew approximately 300 attendees according to church leadership. By the following morning, municipal inspectors had issued a $1,900 fine for violating noise bylaws and hosting a cultural event without appropriate authorization.
Pastor Michel Monette expressed frustration when I spoke with him by phone. “We’re a church holding a worship service, not a concert venue. This feels like bureaucracy targeting religious expression,” he said, noting the church has operated at the same location for over eight years without similar issues.
City officials tell a different story. “This was clearly promoted as a concert event, not regular worship services,” explained Gabrielle Fontaine-Giroux from Montreal’s public safety division. “Any gathering of this size requires proper permits to ensure safety standards are met, regardless of whether it’s religious or secular in nature.”
What makes this case particularly noteworthy is the figure at its center. Feucht, a former Republican congressional candidate from California, gained prominence during the pandemic for his “Let Us Worship” tour, which explicitly defied COVID-19 restrictions across multiple American states. His brand of worship music blends with conservative political messaging that has generated both devoted followers and sharp critics.
Statistics Canada reported a 47% increase in religious freedom complaints during the pandemic years, reflecting growing tension between faith communities and government regulations. The Montreal incident appears to be the latest flashpoint in this ongoing friction.
“There’s a fundamental misunderstanding here,” explained Dr. Solange Lefebvre, Chair of Religion, Culture and Society at the Université de Montréal. “Religious freedom isn’t absolute – it exists within a framework of public safety and municipal regulations that apply to everyone.”
Walking through the Ville-Marie borough where the church is located, I noticed several nearby venues displaying their entertainment permits prominently. When asked about the church situation, neighboring business owner Jean Tremblay shrugged. “If I need permits for my small jazz nights, shouldn’t everyone follow the same rules?”
The fine comes amid broader conversations about religious events in urban spaces. Recent polling from the Angus Reid Institute shows Canadians increasingly split on how much latitude religious organizations should have when their activities affect surrounding communities. About 58% support equal application of municipal bylaws regardless of religious status.
What’s curious about this case is the apparent confusion over event classification. Church leadership maintains this was simply a visiting worship leader participating in their regular service. City officials point to online promotional materials that marketed the event as “Sean Feucht Live in Montreal” with ticket links and concert-style graphics.
“Religious services don’t typically require special permits,” noted civil liberties attorney Caroline Rivard. “But when events take on characteristics of concerts or public gatherings, they enter a different regulatory category. The question becomes where we draw that line.”
Église Le Chemin plans to appeal the fine. Meanwhile, Feucht has already moved on to other Canadian cities, leaving behind not just spiritual impact but regulatory questions that extend well beyond Montreal.
Religious communities across Quebec are watching closely. Father Thomas Dowd from Saint Joseph’s Oratory told me, “Churches need clarity on what constitutes worship versus performance. The guidelines seem to shift, and that creates unnecessary tension.”
The Montreal situation highlights a uniquely Canadian challenge: balancing our constitutional protection of religious freedom with municipal authority to regulate public gatherings. Unlike our southern neighbors, where religious exemptions often trump local regulations, Canadian jurisprudence has generally favored reasonable limits when public interest is at stake.
Budget-constrained churches like Église Le Chemin face difficult choices. “Do we stop inviting guest ministers? Do we apply for concert permits for Sunday services?” asked Monette. “We’re just trying to practice our faith.”
As Canadian cities become increasingly diverse, with houses of worship representing traditions from around the world, establishing clear, consistent guidelines for religious events becomes more pressing. The Montreal fine may seem like a simple bylaw enforcement, but it represents a much larger conversation about how faith communities navigate public space in modern Canada.
For now, the church has 30 days to pay the fine or file an appeal. Whether this becomes a precedent-setting case or just another chapter in the ongoing negotiation between religious practice and public regulation remains to be seen.
What’s certain is that as winter settles over Montreal, the warmth generated inside that church that evening has been tempered by the cold reality of municipal enforcement, leaving both sides claiming principles worth defending in a debate that extends far beyond a single worship service.
