The municipal council meeting prayer for the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo has been eliminated and will no longer be offered when the council members meet. This change is the result of a ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada which was handed down last week. Fort MacMurray Mayor Melissa Blake discussed the issue with other Canadian mayors when she attended the Mid-City Mayor’s Meeting. Mayor Blake believes that there really was no alternative to making the change and canceling the prayer. On April 15 the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that religious practices which are performed at a public meeting cause a breach of the duty of neutrality that the state has. Mayor Blake said “It’s been sort of at the forefront of my mind. Certainly the rule of law is what we must comply with, and the Supreme Court ruling makes it pretty clear that it’s inappropriate to have Christian prayers at the start of the meeting.”

Some disagree with the decision by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo to eliminate the municipal council meeting prayer. Mayor Blake defended the change by saying “We try to keep as neutral as it can be, it can make reference to God, but … it’s not one that was ever intended to incite controversialism. It’s just always been there, and now we’ve got a challenge to that through the court ruling.” Blake also said the change will not affect the business that the council handles, and commented “In our community, we’re filled with multiculturalism and a variety of beliefs. Nobody loses their ability to share their faith, they just can’t do it in the council chambers. It’s a different start as well, so it’s not that we have nothing left to bring the meeting in focus. We’d be happy to put singers on stage for the national anthem.”