When asked about the study, 100 Mile House Mayor Mitch Campsall says he recalls no instances of religious prayer in District of 100 Mile House meetings.

Armstrong Mayor Chris Pieper said he wasn't aware that holding prayers at the beginning of council meetings wasn't allowed.

"I've been on council since the late eighties and whenever there was an election and we started a new council we had one of the ministers within our community give a prayer," he said. "We've had almost every church represented within our community."

Mayor Pieper said he would respect the Supreme Court ruling but he didn't agree that prayers shouldn't be allowed at council.

"They don't pray for us to do a good job, they pray for our community, they pray for strong leadership and honest leadership and integrity, that's what it's about," he said.

“I’ve found this to be a very unique tradition, a good tradition,” said Armstrong Mayor Chris Pieper.

“The inaugural meetings are usually very short so it really adds a bit of community to our council inauguration.”

The mayor said he and city staff were unaware of the Supreme Court ruling and simply carried on with the tradition. 

“I’ve not had one complaint from one person in our community about having a minister giving a reading at our very inaugural meeting,” Pieper said.
Pieper said he’d like the tradition to continue, but the issue is now up for discussion at an upcoming council meeting.
“We will do what is legally correct. If we can’t do it, we can’t do it,” Pieper said.

“After the inauguration, we received an email advising us of the Saguenay decision,” said City of Chilliwack spokesperson Jamie Leggatt.

“This was immediately flagged to ensure religious neutrality at future Council inaugurations.”

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Parksville

Peachland

Peachland Mayor Cindy Fortin said she didn't agree with the prayer that was read out at council's inaugural meeting in 2018.

"Because it had traditionally been done over the decades, it was done again," Fortin said. "I definitely brought it up at the time that I didn't think we should be doing it."

Fortin said if she does run again in 2022 and wins, she'll make sure a prayer won't be readout.

"It's nothing personal against anyone's religion," she said. "I agree with the idea that church and state should be separate."

The Mayor of Peachland said she understands if some are not happy about the non-denominational blessing at the municipality’s inaugural meeting.

“If it was to happen again and I was running again and elected again, I was going to make sure we didn’t have it there. I know it is really important to a lot of people, but there is such a diversity of religion out there…I really don’t think it should be at a council ceremony,” Peachland Mayor Cindy Fortin said.

Fortin said she doesn’t think anyone involved was aware of the Supreme Court ruling in 2018.

“There was no intention to go against a ruling,” Fortin said.

“I did express at the time that I wasn’t very comfortable with it but it had already been planned and organized…but I’m pretty sure it won’t occur in 2022."

Port Coquitlam

Qualicum Beach

Saanich

Spallumcheen

Terrace

Trail

Victoria

The City of Victoria adamantly denies the use of prayer in its 2018 inaugural meeting and says it is fully in compliance with legal obligations to preserve religious neutrality.

“Although there was a First Nations Blessing delivered by a Songhees Nation Elder and an Invocation delivered by the Dean of the Christ Church Cathedral as part of the meeting, neither constituted a religious practice,” said Bill Eisenhauer, spokesperson for the city. “The review of the Invocation makes it clear that, although delivered by a religious official, it was not a prayer but a contemplative appeal to help guide council’s future deliberations. Neither discriminated against anyone or contravened Canadian law, including the Supreme Court of Canada decision in the 2015 Saguenay case.”

White Rock

City corporate administration officer Tracey Arthur responded that White Rock “is an inclusive city where people of all faiths and beliefs are welcomed.”

But she added that staff will be “taking a look” at whether a prayer would be included in the 2022 inaugural meeting.

“Including a prayer has been the tradition at White Rock City Council’s swearing-in ceremony and inaugural meeting, as it was in 2018,” she told Peace Arch News.

“That is a unique circumstance, since prayers are not included with the regular council and committee meetings.”

The next Council Inaugural will be held November 2022.

At that time consideration will be given to this.

Williams Lake

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