THE STONING OF JESUS

The Church of Hope or the Church of Dope?

Either way -- thanks to a big drug bust -- the congregation of the
Mission of God, Beach's Assembly of the Church of the Universe had to
go yesterday without their daily "religious sacrament."

The question is how long will they have to go without their marijuana
store which, police allege, was using ingenious sales methods?

Some 2,000 "church goers" and Toronto police are watching closely.
"It wouldn't surprise me if he opens up again," said drug squad Det.
Scott Matthews. "He is making too much money."

He's talking about "Rev." Peter Styrsky, 48, a Toronto mayoral
candidate who was charged Wednesday with trafficking and conspiracy to traffic.

As of last night the father of four was still incarcerated in the
raid, which also resulted in 200 charges and 23 people being booked.

Police did their jobs well but Styrsky's followers are rooting for
him already. "Peter is a great guy and they should leave him alone,"
said one "congregation member" named Brother Bill.

A member since June, Steve Vickers said, "I think it's sad because
this church is here to help people and give them hope. We have our
religious beliefs and should be able to practice them how we see fit."

None of this fools Det. Matthews, who says as far as he is concerned
the Queen St. E. location was nothing more than a place to buy
marijuana. "I never saw any Bibles, hymn books or an altar," he
joked. "It's just a facade. This is no more a church than is my garage."

The arrest was a form of vindication for Tom Nolan, who with his
wife, Sonia, operated the Habanos on the Beach cigar shop for years
on the same location, where I would actually routinely hang out for
coffee and cigars.

"Peter was my landlord and everything was fine but then he opened up
a head shop called G-13 in the back," said Tom. "He never mentioned
anything about being a minister at that time and soon after there
were teenagers on bikes coming and going all the time and we smelled
marijuana."

Suspicious, he contacted Toronto Police. "Our cigar shop was our
dream and we were operating a law-abiding business," he said. "Just
like that I suddenly was losing my more conservative customers
because they did not want to be around this kind of thing."

Habanos on the Beach closed in September 2005 and Styrsky
subsequently moved his operation from downstairs to what used to be
Nolan's space.

When Nolan later saw the sign indicating it was now a "church" he was
appalled. "I knew what he was up to. To use that to sell this stuff,
I find it offensive to all religions and people of faith." It seemed
to work. Slick, smart and brazen was this operation. "It was a pretty
neat little set up," said Matthews. "Traffic was non-stop."

It worked like this. You paid $25 for a lifetime membership and once
accepted you simply asked for the daily sacrament. From there, an
allotment of marijuana was allegedly sold. "He has more than 2,000
members," said Matthews.

In fact dozens of people showed up there yesterday. Vickers, 19, was
one of them -- ready with his special, laminated church membership card.

In the investigation undercover officers got themselves one of those
club cards, too. Meet Brother Harry and Sister Nancy. The church
membership had no idea they were in fact just acting as stoners.

In real life Brother Harry is Det. Const. Jeff Moyer and Sister Nancy
is Det. Const. Traci Leahy. "There was a lot of talk about the pot,"
said Moyer of the conversation that was going on in the basement,
backyard and backroom.

But in their investigation, they said, they found there was money
being made. More than $200,000 in street value narcotics was seized
and $6,397.56 in cash. As top crime reporter Rob Lamberti reported
yesterday, 200 grams of hashish, 151 marijuana plants and 4.5 kilos
of dried marijuana were also found.

Sgt. Debbie Abbott of Toronto Police's proceeds of crime division has
already been contacted -- as has the Children's Aid Society since
four children were living above the store. "There are pesticides and
moulds in there and you can get really sick," said Matthews. "There
was also an extraction lab on the main floor which is a fire hazard."

It's not every day you see a city councillor trying to close down a
church but that's exactly what deputy mayor Sandra Bussin will try to
do. She's upset about the allegations that minors were involved and
have been charged. "I want this place shut down because it is not
appropriate," she said. "I don't think it's fit for this neighbourhood."

Sandra Bussin is not a member of the Beach chapter of the Church of
the Universe but it's probably safe to say she is on a crusade.