One of the organizers behind a bus-ad campaign suggesting “there is probably no God” said he doesn’t expect much opposition following the message’s public debut.
Bill Ligertwood, founder of the Kamloops Centre for Rational Thought, said Wednesday two City transit busses will carry the message, “There is probably no God, now stop worrying and enjoy your life” for one month starting Wednesday.
One of the buses carrying the message was used Thursday as a school special, a bus contracted to provide after-school transportation on some routes.
Ligertwood said that causes him no concern, noting it is beyond his control anyway, as the transit service determines which buses are used on which routes, not those who buy ads.
“We have no control over it, for one thing; they are just put on,” he said. “But that wouldn’t concern me in the slightest anyway.”
He said he’s heard no negative reaction.
“I think there will probably be some letters to the editor, but I think people in Kamloops are pretty tolerant. I don’t see any reason to change my mind on that,” he said.
Karl de Bruijn, the school district’s assistant superintendent, said he is not troubled to hear the message appeared on a bus used as a school special.
“Our children are exposed to all kinds of advertising from all kinds of media. It’s the world they live in,” he said.
He added the message might cause some parents concern and he urged those who are troubled to complain to the City’s transit service.
“The children have to catch a ride home. From my point of view, it is something out of our hands anyway.”
Similar ads have run in other cities in Canada and across North America in recent years. The local campaign is sponsored by the Okanagan branch of the Centre for Inquiry Canada and the Kamloops Centre for Rational Thought.
