An emergency motion stalled appeal proceedings Wednesday in the ongoing court case involving the ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect Lev Tahor.
The appeal stems from an order from Justice Stephen Fuerth on Feb. 3, to return 14 children from the sect back to Quebec child services. However, an emergency motion called by Chatham-Kent Children Services has pushed back proceedings to a yet-to-be determined date.
An emergency exclusion order banned all media from the courtroom for fear the media’s presence could cause harm to the Lev Tahor children, according to Justice Linda Templeton.
The original order given by Justice Fuerth to send the children back to Quebec was stayed for 30 days so an appeal could be made. As part of the decision, the children were ordered to remain with their families and couldn’t leave Chatham-Kent.
The court case continued Wednesday even as some members of the sect travelled to Trinidad and Tobago. CTV News has confirmed with an immigration officer that Lev Tahor members were refused access to the country and were kept in the care of the airline. Repeated calls to members of Lev Tahor regarding the trip went unreturned.
Approximately 40 families with the jewish group left Ste-Agathe-des-Monts, Que., and relocated to Chatham in November.
On Nov. 27, a Quebec court ordered the children into foster care, amid an investigation into alleged child neglect.
