The City of Ottawa recently sent a letter to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), expressing interest in becoming a host city to a large gaming entertainment centre (read: casino). You can learn more about that story here. We were happy to hear that at least some councillors were hesitant about the idea, expressing concern over the social welfare of the city. ARPA Canada drafted a letter to Mayor Jim Watson and the 23 councillors outlining the risks and hidden costs of such a project and urging caution. Often...
Find an 8 minute video of Gideon Strauss making the case for Principled Pluralism here. This is a concept that has been expounded further in God & Government, a quality book recently written by ARPA board member Dr. Cornelis Van Dam. What follows is the description of the short video: "From debates about the hiring practices of churches to rumors of community adherence to Sharia law, Americans have long been facing questions regarding the role of various religions in public life. As our nation grows increasingly diverse, can we coexist...
The Association for Canadian Studies, in partnership with the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC), has now published the Special Issue of Canadian Diversity on Creed, Freedom of Religion and Human Rights and it includes an article by ARPA's legal counsel. ARPA Canada was pleased to be part of the OHRC consultation process when they undertook to revise their policy on creed. Our legal counsel was able to present a paper on protecting religious associational rights at the Dialogue that took place in Toronto in January. You can read about...