
At the Township of Melancthon’s Council Meeting held on November 19th, Darren White, Mayor of Melancthon and Warden of Dufferin County, informed the township’s councilmembers of what had occurred at the most recent Dufferin Council meeting.
Warden White spoke to the motion brought by Amaranth’s Mayor Bob Currie at the November 12th county council meeting, with the description of it being that Currie “essentially wanted to add a prayer at the beginning of the meeting”.
“Thank you Lord for creating the heavens, and the earth, and all that is on the earth,” are the words that Currie wants to be delivered at future Dufferin Council meetings. After Dufferin Council ‘started recognizing indigenous people in our area because they were the first settlers here, call it what you want’, referring to the land acknowledgement now performed at the start of meetings, Amaranth’s mayor is of the belief that the municipal body should ‘recognize the creator of the whole universe in the first place’. To note, prayers and land acknowledgements are not currently conducted at the Township of Amaranth’s council meetings.
This is not the first time Bob Currie has inserted his religious views into politics and policy. Earlier this year, the Mayor of Amaranth made national news after providing his reasoning for not wanting the pride flag flown at the township office when the matter came up during an Amaranth council meeting. The remarks were considered hate speech by many and resulted in Currie losing his position as Chair on the County of Dufferin’s Infrastructure and Environmental Services Committee.
“If everybody was either lesbian or homosexual, this would be the last generation on earth, because two homosexuals cannot produce offspring, two lesbians cannot produce offspring, so why would I want to support something when this could be the last generation on earth,” Bob Currie exclaimed at the June 17th, 2020, meeting of Amaranth Council.
In addition to this, Amaranth’s mayor has protested a donation to the local food banks, called his fellow Amaranth councillors ‘scumbags’ and ‘trash’ while feigning his resignation, as well as having been named in a workplace harassment investigation that cost the township over $28,000. The related summary report stated that there was evidence that Currie had cultivated a ‘poisoned work environment’. Currie has disputed the findings of this investigation. There is currently a vacant seat on Amaranth’s council, after the person elected quit due to a ‘toxic work environment‘. An open call for public nominations has been made for Amaranth residents interested in being appointed to fill the council vacancy.
At the November 19th Melancthon Council Meeting, White explained how he had approached staff and that research was performed on Currie’s motion, discovering that there had been a Supreme Court of Canada ruling on a related case. The case presumably being cited is Mouvement laïque québécois v. Saguenay. The City of Saguenay went through an eight-year legal battle, with the final judgement being made by the Supreme Court in 2015. The result was that the city was not allowed to open its meeting with a prayer, with the complainant being compensated at least $30,000 by the city.
“That motion will not be placed on the next agenda, it was contrary to a Supreme Court decision and a number of other things, and as a result will not be debated at the next county meeting, which I’m sure will cause some fireworks, but that’s that,” Warden Darren White outlined.
After the Supreme Court ruling back in 2015, some municipalities replaced prayers with a moment of silence. Examples include the City of Ottawa and Iqaluit city.
Nunatsiaq News reports that Joanasie Akumalik, Councillor for Iqaluit, said, “Regardless if I have a moment of silence or prayer, my God is still going to love me.”
The next County of Dufferin Regular Meeting of Council takes place on December 10th.
Reference Links – Warden says No Debating Prayers at Dufferin Council
- Dufferin County Councillor Brings Religion Into Politics
- Supreme Court rules against prayer at city council meetings
- Iqaluit city council votes to replace opening prayer with moment of silence
- Supreme Court Judgement: Mouvement laïque québécois v. Saguenay
- Amaranth Councilmembers Move Towards Filling Vacancy
- Dufferin County Council November 12th, 2020
- Melancthon Council Meeting – November 19, 2020 – Agenda
- Dufferin County to officially recognize Indigenous history with land acknowledgment
- Mayor Currie Questions Integrity Commissioner’s Value – Audio Clip
- Mayor of Amaranth responds to investigation report
- Amaranth Mayor Currie Speaks to Workplace Harrassment Report – Audio Clip
- Update on vacant council seat in Amaranth Township
- IS AMARANTH’S MAYOR CURRIE RESIGNING?
- AMARANTH MAYOR CURRIE UNLEASHES HIS FURY
- Amaranth Residents Call Out Mayor Currie’s Empty Threat
- Mayor Bob Currie Protests Donation to Food Banks
- IS AMARANTH’S MAYOR CURRIE RESIGNING?
- AMARANTH MAYOR DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO RAISE PRIDE FLAG FOR 2021
- AMARANTH’S DEPUTY MAYOR CALLS OUT MAYOR’S PRIDE INTOLERANCE
- AMARANTH MAYOR: WHY CAN’T WE USE THE RIVER TO FIGHT FIRES?!
- AMARANTH’S DEPUTY MAYOR FIGHTS FOR DIVERSITY COMMITTEE
- Amaranth Council Meeting Cancelled – Amaranth Pride Flag Recap
- Amaranth Town Council Information
- Amaranth Mayor’s Pride Comments & Council’s Reaction
- JUN 24 – MEET THE MAYOR OF AMARANTH – Newstalk 1010
- Amaranth demands meeting with ministry amid harassment allegations, request to restrict powers of Mayor Bob Currie
- Ontario township mayor faces backlash over homophobic comments, decision not to raise Pride flag
- ‘No action is not an option’: Amaranth Mayor Bob Currie removed as Dufferin County public works chair due to LGBTQ commentary
Related Links
- Melancthon Council gives itself a pay raise in 2021
- Melancthon Councillor Resigns after ‘defamatory assaults’
- ‘Trojan Horse’ Proposed at Fung Loy Kok in Mono
- DCCBA Another Landmark for Diversity in Dufferin
- Dufferin County Councillor Brings Religion Into Politics
- NEW DETAILS ON WE CHARITY ‘EXONERATION’
- MP Kyle Seeback Asks For Local Business Nominations!
- ORANGEVILLE USED IN MARKETING CROWD CONTROL TECHNOLOGY
- Stolen pair of shoes leads to over 1000 Shoes for Shelburne
- There is assistance for homeless men in Dufferin County!
- Santa Claus will be coming to Orangeville… on a firetruck!
- My Crafty Neighbour has a space with limitless opportunity!
- Town of Orangeville launches COVID-19 Community Recognition Awards
- New Grand Valley Pizza Place Opens Tonight!
- “Please…symptoms can widely range…don’t assume it’s just a cold!”
- Town of Orangeville Staff tests positive for COVID-19
- Epidemiologist Calls Out Upper Grand DSB
- Ontario teachers, exposed to COVID, may still go to class
- UGDSB Trustee Raises BIG CONCERNS Over School Lunchtime
- School Buses May Pose BIGGEST RISK to UGDSB Return To School
- UGDSB TRUSTEE CALLS BUSES “ROLLING INCUBATORS”
- IS ENOUGH BEING DONE TO KEEP LUNCHES SAFE IN THE UGDSB?
- VENTILATION AND HVAC IN UGDSB SCHOOLS
- WILL REMOTE LEARNING CHANGE THE AMOUNT OF BUSES IN UGDSB?
- UGDSB PROVIDES DETAILS ON PROTOCOL IF COVID HITS SCHOOLS
- ‘Glimmer of hope’ as Dufferin business community nears second wave
- Through the eyes of a Canadian female collective
- Marnie Cooke: “How do you turn off your ears?”
- The Artful Revival Festival – Social Distancing Applies!
- Streams Community Hub: A New Age For The Dufferin Arts
- Tony Rose Pool Closure May Decimate Orangeville Otters!
- Need Help! Orangeville Food Bank + Orangeville Legion
- IRIS R&D Group Responds: We Don’t Own FaceMatch
- Orangeville Under Surveillance?! What is IRIS R&D?
- COVID-19 Surcharge in Ontario?! Who Would Do This?!
- Orangeville Library Consolidation: Who Gets Hurt?
- Orangeville Food Bank Has Officially Moved!
- Is The Orangeville Banner Endangering Public Health?!
- Face Coverings Will Be Required If Entering Dufferin Businesses
- WDGPH Updates Order on Face Coverings
- Essential Worker? What’s it actually mean?
- Discussion on Development – Orangeville Councillor Todd Taylor
- The Dufferin Job Search Just Got Easier!
- Dufferin Speaks – Hansen Development: Discussion with Darrin Davidson
- Dufferin News – Videojournalism For Our Community
- Press Release: Dufferin’s Spotlight Production launches Online Community News Program
- Interested in Being A Contributor? Apply Here!
- Have a Tip for a News Story? Let us know!
- When You Advertise Locally, You Should Advertise With Those Who Are Local. Us.