A lawyer representing three Fraser Valley churches has filed a notice of appeal in B.C.’s top court over the province’s ban on in-person religious gatherings. B.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson ruled on March 18 that the order issued by B.C. Public Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry banning in-person religious gatherings infringed on Canadians’ religious rights protected by the Charter, but that the infringement was reasonable. Meanwhile, Hinkson struck down public health orders banning outdoor protests, which was also part of the court challenge. The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF), which had filed the legal challenge on behalf of three churches and four individuals, said it was pleased with the ruling on outdoor protests but disappointed in the court’s dismissal of the challenge to the prohibition on in-person religious gatherings. “The B.C. churches challenging the Provincial Health Orders assert that they have gone to extraordinary lengths to comply …