The Supreme Court of Canada issued a ruling rejecting the appeal filed by several churches in Manitoba in west-central Canada that opposed the restrictive measures imposed by the provincial authorities to confront the Covid-19 pandemic.

The "Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms" (JCCF) said it is disappointed by the decision of the country's highest judicial authority not to consider the case.

The centre is a legal advocacy group based in Calgary, the largest city in the province of Alberta, and worked with the churches.

The churches' lawyers argued that the orders issued by the Manitoba public health authorities in 2020 and 2021, which temporarily halted the practice of religious ceremonies in person before allowing them with restrictions on the number of attendees, violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms enshrined in the Canadian constitution.

However, the churches' lawyers lost their case before two lower courts.

The Manitoba Court of Appeal ruled last year that those restrictive measures were necessary to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms allows their implementation.

The Supreme Court of Canada did not disclose details of its decision not to hear the case.