Civil Rights Cases & Complaints against City of Saskatoon: August 2012

From: Ashu M. G. Solo [mailto:amgsolo@mavericktechnologies.us]
Sent: Wednesday, August 22, 2012 11:20 AM
To: Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission; Marci Macomber, SHRC; 'mayors.office@saskatoon.ca'; randy.donauer@saskatoon.ca
Cc: 'glen.penner@saskatoon.ca'; 'pat.lorje@saskatoon.ca'; 'ann.iwanchuk@saskatoon.ca'; 'myles.heidt@saskatoon.ca'; 'charlie.clark@saskatoon.ca'; 'mairin.loewen@saskatoon.ca'; 'tiffany.paulsen@saskatoon.ca'; 'bev.dubois@saskatoon.ca'; darren.hill@saskatoon.ca
Subject: Violations of Saskatchewan Human Rights Code and Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms by Don Atchison, Randy Donauer, and City of Saskatoon

Dear Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission and Marci Macomber:

In this email message, I am attaching an additional document that I have just written for my civil rights complaint against Mayor Don Atchison, Councillor Randy Donauer, and the City of Saskatoon. This is document #11 and is entitled “Violations of Saskatchewan Human Rights Code and Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms by Don Atchison, Randy Donauer, and City of Saskatoon.” This document should be considered by the lawyer(s) forming a legal opinion on my case. I am also attaching an updated document list, which lists document #11 in addition to the other documents that I have sent you. The attached documents are in Adobe PDF format. If you have any trouble opening the documents, let me know. Please give these documents to the lawyer(s) forming a legal opinion on my case. You can forward this email message to the appropriate people.

Best regards,

Ashu M. G. Solo

Violations of Saskatchewan Human Rights Code and

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms by

Don Atchison, Randy Donauer, and City of Saskatoon

By Ashu M. G. Solo

Don Atchison, Randy Donauer, and the City of Saskatoon clearly violated this provision of the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code with a Christian prayer recitation at the Volunteer Appreciation Banquet:

Right to freedom of conscience

4 Every person and every class of persons shall enjoy the right to freedom of

conscience, opinion and belief and freedom of religious association, teaching,

practice and worship.

Sheetal Rawal of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association wrote, “Another protection that flows from religious liberty is the freedom to be free from religion; that is, the principle that the state should have no role in imposing, endorsing, or promoting a particular religion over others, nor should it pressure or coerce an individual into a religious practice.” She stated this in a letter that is provided as Document 9.

A Christian prayer recitation strongly violates my conscience because I am not a Christian, I absolutely do not believe in a Christian God, I absolutely do not believe that any Christian books are from a God or a prophet, I absolutely do not believe in any Christian stories, I absolutely do not believe in many Christian values, I strongly oppose many Christian values, I absolutely do not do Christian prayers, and I absolutely do not attend Christian religious institutions.

A Christian prayer recitation is a coercive attempt at Christian indoctrination because it sends the message that Christians are more valued or welcome than others while marginalizing others, it sends the message that a citizen is second class if she’s not a Christian, it sends the message that only Christians can serve on City Council because a non-Christian won’t have a Christian prayer, and it sends the message that volunteers on civic committees and boards are not treated equally if they’re not Christian. The Christian prayer recitation at a civic event is a coercive attempt at Christian indoctrination because it sends the message to non-Christians that they need to convert to Christianity if they want to fit in at city events, if they want to be a first-class citizen whose rights are respected, if they want to serve on City Council, and if they want to volunteer for civic committees or boards.

Besides violating section 4 of the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code, Don Atchison, Randy Donauer, and the City of Saskatoon discriminated against me on the prohibited grounds of religion and creed.

I considered myself an atheist when I attended the Volunteer Appreciation Banquet. According to Dictionary.com (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/creed), a creed is “any system or codification of belief or of opinion.” Atheism was part of my system and codification of beliefs and opinions. Therefore, atheism was my creed and they discriminated against me based on creed.

They discriminated against me based on religion because they were making a coercive attempt at Christian indoctrination. It’s my position and the position of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association that religious freedom includes freedom from religion and separation of religion and state.

Don Atchison, Randy Donauer, and the City of Saskatoon clearly violated this provision of the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code with a Christian prayer recitation at the Volunteer Appreciation Banquet:

Right to engage in occupations

9 Every person and every class of persons shall enjoy the right to engage in and

carry on any occupation, business or enterprise under the law without discrimination

on the basis of a prohibited ground.

Don Atchison, Randy Donauer, and the City of Saskatoon discriminated against me based on the prohibited grounds of religion and creed while I was engaging in the occupation of being a representative on the Saskatoon Cultural Diversity and Race Relations Committee.

Don Atchison, Randy Donauer, and the City of Saskatoon may have violated this provision of the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code with a Christian prayer recitation at the Volunteer Appreciation Banquet:

Discrimination prohibited in employment

16(2) No employee shall discriminate against another employee on the basis of a

prohibited ground.

I’m a representative on the Saskatoon Cultural Diversity and Race Relations Committee. If this position is considered being an employee, then Don Atchison and Randy Donauer can be said to have discriminated against an employee on the basis of the two prohibited grounds of religion and creed.

I clearly meet the following criteria in the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code for the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission to proceed with my complaint:

Complaints

27(1) A person may file with the commission a complaint in the form prescribed

by the commission if:

(a) the complaint falls within the jurisdiction of the commission; and

(b) the person provides sufficient evidence that reasonable grounds exist for

believing that any person has contravened a provision of this Act, or any other

Act administered by the commission, with respect to a person or class of

persons.

(3) Where the commission has reasonable grounds for believing that any person

has contravened a provision of this Act, or any other Act administered by the

commission, in respect of a person or class of persons, the commission may initiate

a complaint.

(4) One or more grounds of discrimination may be alleged in any complaint.

(5) Subject to subsection (6), but notwithstanding any other provision of this Act,

the commission shall refuse to accept a complaint and shall not initiate a complaint

if the complaint is made more than one year after the person making the complaint

became aware, or should have been aware, of the alleged act of discrimination.

Don Atchison, Randy Donauer, and the City of Saskatoon clearly violated this section of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms with a Christian prayer recitation at the Volunteer Appreciation Banquet:

Fundamental freedoms

2. Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:

(a) freedom of conscience and religion;

It’s my position and the position of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association that freedom of conscience and religion includes freedom from religion and separation of religion and state.

Multicultural heritage

27. This Charter shall be interpreted in a manner consistent with the preservation and enhancement of the multicultural heritage of Canadians.

It’s my position and the position of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association that section 27 of the Charter on multiculturalism forbids conferring special privileges or benefits on any particular religion.

If this case goes to court, I seek a judgment that will result in a permanent ban on prayer recitations at all civic events throughout the province of Saskatchewan.

Some of my opponents have suggested that this case is petty. If the prayer recitation were petty, I wouldn’t have been subject to thousands of personal attacks like I got from conservatives and even pushover progressives for opposing the prayer recitation. If it were petty, I wouldn’t have gotten the massive media coverage that I’ve received. If it were petty, Don Atchison, Randy Donauer, and their supporters wouldn’t oppose getting rid of the prayer recitations.

I believe that Don Atchison, Randy Donauer, or potentially individual members of Saskatoon City Council could retaliate for this complaint by trying to deny me reappointment to the Saskatoon Cultural Diversity and Race Relations Committee or trying to deny me an appointment on another Saskatoon civic committee or board. I believe Don Atchison, Randy Donauer, and Saskatoon City Council should be made aware by the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission that such retaliation is expressly prohibited by the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code:

Discrimination for taking part in proceedings under this Act prohibited

45 No person shall:

(a) refuse to employ or to continue to employ any person;

(b) threaten to dismiss or to penalize in any other way any person with

respect to that person’s employment or any term, condition or privilege

thereof;

or any term, condition or privilege thereof; or

(d) intimidate, retaliate against, coerce or impose any pecuniary or other

penalty, loss or other penalty, loss or disadvantage upon any person;

on the grounds that that person:

(e) has made or may make a complaint under this Act;

(f) has made or may make a disclosure concerning any matter complained of;

(g) has testified or may testify in a proceeding under this Act; or

(h) has participated or may participate in any other way in a proceeding

under this Act.

If Don Atchison, Randy Donauer, or Saskatoon City Council deny me reappointment to the Saskatoon Cultural Diversity and Race Relations Committee or a position on another Saskatoon civic committee or board, this will clearly be retaliation against me for filing this human rights complaint and I will then be forced to file a human rights complaint against Saskatoon City Council for violating section 45 of the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code.