by Connie Tabbert
Editor
COBDEN — The Lord’s Prayer was said at the start of the Feb. 18 Whitewater Region Township’s council meeting.
To start the meeting, Mayor Hal Johnson remembered township residents who have died since the last council meeting by saying their names aloud. Then, he asked those in attendance to stand and repeat the Lord’s Prayer.
That prayer has not been said by a Whitewater council for several years now. This occurred after Renfrew County council changed from saying the prayer after a resident said he was offended by that specific prayer being said in chambers.
It is now being reported that a recently elected reeve is asking that no prayer be said prior to the start of a county council meeting because he is an atheist. Warden Peter Emon said the prayer currently being said will continue to be said prior to the start of every county council meeting.
Following Whitewater’s council meeting, Mayor Johnson said, “I think we need to honour everybody in our municipality and some of them would like us to say the Lord’s Prayer.”
It won’t be said at every meeting, he said.
“We may introduce a new prayer once in a while and we may just have one minute of silence because there are some people who don’t believe in any of that,” Mayor Johnson said.
It’s a matter of respect to all people in the township, he said.
“I’m not afraid of my shadow,” Mayor Johnson said. “I’m not afraid of being sued for saying the Lord’s Prayer.”
Mayor Johnson noted that part way through the council meeting, he removed the Chain of Office.
“It broke,” he said.
However, with a pair of tweezers, it can be easily fixed and it will be gracing his neckline at the next council meeting.
