The “atheist bus” campaign was momentarily bound for Ottawa, but OC Transpo has ruled out allowing provocative advertisements bearing a no-god message.

The Toronto-based Freethought Association of Canada has sparked controversy across the country after launching an ad campaign in January with a pro-atheism theme. The message, which appears in hot red and pink lettering, boldly declares: “THERE’S PROBABLY NO GOD. NOW STOP WORRYING AND ENJOY YOUR LIFE.”

Authorities in Toronto and Calgary have agreed to run the ads on buses and at other sites in their transit networks. Halifax was the first city to reject the group’s request to run the ads, and now Ottawa’s transit corporation – citing regulations that prohibit “offensive” religious advertising – has turned down the advertisements, as well.

Transit officials in Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna in British Columbia, and London, Ont., have also refused to run the ads, said the Freethought Association in a Feb. 15 statement issued via its atheistbus.ca website.

“We’ve been rejected by OC Transpo and at the moment our advertisement is not permitted to be displayed on any Ottawa public transit vehicle,” the statement said. “This comes as a shock to us… We will attempt to contact OC Transpo to try and discuss our options.”

The group posted an email response it received from OC Transpo regarding the proposed ad: “The advertising standards section of our contract specifically excludes religious advertising which might be offensive to transit users, so we cannot approve this ad.