Leon Fontaine, leader of Springs Church, has died
Springs Church leader Pastor Leon Fontaine has died.
An associate pastor with Springs Inner City in Winnipeg confirmed in a Facebook post that the pastor died on Saturday.
On Friday, Springs Church officially confirmed the death of Fontaine occurred Nov. 19. The statement said Fontaine was unexpectedly diagnosed with "aggressive late-stage cancer," and his health took a turn for the worse while he was pursuing treatment.
"There is a deep void in the hearts and minds of all those who knew him," the statement reads. "If you ever had the chance to speak with him, you know he had an incredible ability to make you feel like you were the most important person in the room. He was one man yet could foster what felt like thousands of relationships while simultaneously running multiple organizations. He set the standard of what a true leader is."
Fontaine, along with his wife Sally was the lead pastor at Springs. The church has two locations in Winnipeg and one Calgary.
He was involved with various organizations associated with the church, including president of Springs Christian Academy, CEO of Miracle Channel, a Christian television station in Lethbridge, Alberta. Fontaine was also an author, spoke at conferences, and hosted two shows, The Spirit Contemporary Life and The Leon Show, according to his online biography.
Fontaine was a well-known Christian speaker across the country, but controversies during the COVID-19 pandemic drew attention to the church.
A public graduation ceremony for Springs College in May 2021 drew criticism after images were shared online of the unmasked ceremony. The church was ticketed, and at the time, Fontaine released a statement defending the ceremony, saying it was following health orders.
At the height of COVID-19 restrictions on Manitoba in December 2020, Fontaine and Springs took the Province to court, calling for drive-in services to be allowed. The request was denied, but a short while later, health orders were amended to allow drive-in services.
Fontaine had five children, and five grandchildren according to his biography.
Nicholas Greco, Provost of Providence University College, says Fontaine’s prominence in the church’s identity could affect congregation attendance moving forward.
“We can’t really tell what will happen with Springs in the future with this transition in leadership but you can imagine that some of the things that would compel people to come to a church is leadership,” Greco said.
In instances like Springs, Greco says leadership roles could be transferred to family. Fontaine’s wife Sally is currently also a senior pastor with the church, and his children are involved with the church.
“With this sort of singular identity that is the head of that church, without them being there, do they still find a particular definition?” Greco asks. “That’s really the question that we can ask at this point.”
The church's statement said his family, including his wife, five children, their spouses and nine grandchildren, will "continue to passionately serve and lead the ministries he established."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.