NEWSLETTER DEFENDING GOD FACED LIBRARY BAN

An Ontario woman whose community newsletter was banned from her local library for “defending God” is claiming victory.

Mary Stanko’s Senior’s Alert newsletter is back on the pamphlet stands at the St. Catharines Public Library after a yearlong battle that nearly ended up in court.

Last year, Stanko, who is retired after teaching for 34 years, was told by the library that the newsletter did not meet its requirement that any publicly posted material be “educational” or “cultural.”

“For the last 18 years, I’ve been putting out my newsletter, which I voluntarily edit and publish for the good of the community,” she said. “And all of a sudden, because I mention the preamble to the Constitution … I was quoting the Constitution, and I was defending God.”

Stanko’s spring 2015 newsletter included an editorial about the abandonment of God in society, with references to the opening line of the Constitution Act of 1982.

“Pointedly, this Constitution opens with the declaration stating that ‘Canada is governed under the supremacy of God and the rule of Law,’ ” she wrote.

“Yet, why are we law-abiding citizens allowing these apostates and atheists, who are in the minority, to install their undemocratic rule of terror in which mention of His Name has become anathema in public governments, their arms-length commissions, colleges of physicians and surgeons, universities and some secular media?”

The woman said she never had any trouble before with the newsletter, which is distributed to places like seniors’ homes, churches, stores and pharmacies.

This time, though, one of the librarians didn’t like it.

“She made a face, like she can’t take it, and said, ‘I’m going to take it to my office and read further.’ Her assistant came out and said, ‘No we can’t take it,’ ” Stanko said.

Stanko argued her case at a library board meeting last November, but her appeal was turned down.

Then, she contacted the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedom, an Albertabased libertarian organization.

“As a public entity, the library board can’t be censoring opinions or views from its readership,” said Marty Moore, a centre lawyer.

Moore said he wrote to the library board, “explaining the definitions of cultural and educational,” and asking that the usual 50 copies of Stanko’s newsletter be put on display.

If the matter wasn’t resolved, he threatened legal action.

“Now they have placed that newsletter back in the newsletter stands.”

The National Post contacted the library board, but no one was available to comment.