Ottawa buses won't fuel religious debate
Last Updated: Thursday, February 19, 2009 | 10:13 AM ET
CBC News
An ad calling into question the existence of God won't board Ottawa buses for the time being.
Ignoring the advice of its chairman, the city's transit committee has voted not to overturn a staff decision to ban an ad campaign that had raised ripples in the city since it first popped up in England last month.
The ad, sponsored by the Freethought Association of Canada, says, "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life."
Similar ads proposed by atheist groups have been deemed unsuitable in Halifax and Victoria, among other places.
David Burton of the Humanist Association of Ottawa appeared before the committee Wednesday wearing a T-shirt bearing the words in contention.
"We don't feel the ads are adversarial," he said. "We don't feel they're objectional, and we don't feel they're controversial."
Coun. Alex Cullen, chairman of the committee, introduced a motion to overrule staff and approve the ad. He said riders should be allowed to form their own opinions about the ads.
"Our citizens are intelligent enough to make that decision themselves," he said. "They don't need us to censor what they can and cannot see."
OC Transpo chief Alain Mercier said the ad was too hot to handle. "We felt that it would attract additional controversy on the transit system," he said.
Coun. Marianne Wilkinson, who voted against the motion, said that as a Christian, she is offended by the ad. "It in fact does hurt people, and that's not your intention, I know, but in fact it does lead to that."
The vote ended in a 3-3 tie, so the motion did not pass, but the ad could still end up on buses. Cullen said he will introduce his motion to the full city council on Feb. 25.
