Ottawa Atheists Could Use Your Help

A couple weeks ago, I mentioned that atheists in Ottawa, Canada were trying to put up bus ads of their own.

The Humanist Association of Ottawa‘s ads — the same as the popular British ones reading, “There’s probably no god. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” — were deemed “too offensive” by advertisers and subsequently rejected.

The next meeting of the city council is Wednesday night, March 11^th. The motion to reinstate the ad campaign will be discussed and voted upon.

How can you help make these ads a reality?

Several ways (and they don’t all involve living in Canada):

come to the council meeting at City Hall on Wednesday, 11 March (more information here)

write a letter to your city councilor (email addresses and suggestions here)

donate to the Canada wide atheist bus campaign (tax deductible)

or, direct your donation specifically to the Ottawa atheist bus campaign (not tax deductible)

join the FaceBook group — tell your friends

If that’s too much for you, you can quickly and easily sign their petition. Let the city officials know you ‘d like to see these ads on their buses. Let them know you’d be more likely to come to Ottawa on vacation (if that’s true) or you’ll gladly tell your friends about the awesomeness of their city. And if you actually live in Ottawa, I’m sure you can say things even more personal 🙂

Here’s hoping Ottawa gets to spread the atheist bus love.

(Thanks to Seanna for the link!)

PrimeNumbers

Thanks for this, Hemant. I’d hope that free speech is one issue where theists and atheists can agree on and fight together.
Nicole

I wrote to various Ottawa MPs and got some encouraging replies. Not everyone replied though, which is about as discouraging a sign, in a free speech issue, as I can think up. More pressure, especially from Ottawa citizens, will definitely sway things over to our side.

Come on Canada! Let’s make this happen.
drew

Thanks for the link, I signed the petition! Hope the atheist bus gets rolling again soon, eh?
Indigo

I sent OCTranspo a letter. Mostly I mourned their failure to support free speech in the nation’s capital, which should be a shining beacon of the rights expressed in the Charter, etc.
I lived in Ottawa for a summer and found it a very pleasant city, so I was saddened by their pig-headedness – er, their position, on this particular matter.