Complaint on prayer at city event moves forward

The Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission has agreed to investigate a complaint about the use of prayer at a City of Saskatoon event last April.

The complaint was raised by Ashu Solo, who says he was offended when a Christian prayer was recited at a banquet for city volunteers.

"Our whole goal is to try to mediate, conciliate, try to solve the problem," David Arnot, the chief commissioner of the commission, said Wednesday. "[We] only litigate cases that demonstrate that litigation is fundamentally necessary."

Solo says he does not have an issue with people praying, but he does not want to be led in a specific prayer.

"I thought that was highly inappropriate, highly offensive and highlydiscriminatory," Solo said of the experience at the volunteer event.

Saskatoon's mayor is not talking about the case because it's before the commission.

In the past, Don Atchison has said the city has no plans to exclude prayers at civic events.

Solo is the same man who hascomplained about the display of Merry Christmas greetings on Saskatoon buses.

That issue is still before city council.

Solo added Wednesday that he has received about 250 hate messages, over his complaints.

"A lot of people have told me to go back where I came from," he said. "But I came from here. I was born in Saskatoon."