A group hoping to get the atheist bus rolling in Halifax says it will fight on, despite having its ad rejected by Metro Transit.
Lori Patterson, spokeswoman for Metro Transit, said the company doesn’t run ads about politics or religion.
“Those two topics are always controversial and people have very strong opinions about them.” She said ads must meet “community standards.”
“We have to consider our passengers and our employees and their safety,” Patterson said. She cited the policy that ads must not be considered discriminatory or objectionable to any race, creed or moral standard.
Derek Rodgers, a Halifax spokesman for atheistbus.ca, said the proposed ad is not objectionable.
“Metro Transit needs to understand the seriousness of the message they’re sending by rejecting an ad as benign as ours,” he said Tuesday. “We’re very concerned about our right to free speech. I think a lot of Haligonians are expressing similar concerns, so we’re really eager to sit down and discuss this face to face with Metro Transit.”
The Atheist Bus campaign, organized by the Freethought Association of Canada, draws its inspiration from the British campaign. The text of the ad would read: “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”
