9 | durhamregion.com This Week | Thursday,February 10,2022 | Newcastle Funeral Home&Morris Funeral Chapel Visitations/Funerals/Gatherings Are AvailableMonthly PreArrangement Plans • Free Streaming of Gatherings and ServicesFree Assistance with CPP Death Benefits Newcastle Funeral Home386 Mill St S, Newcastle, ON L1B 1C6 905-987-3964 (24 Hours)www.newcastlefuneralhome.com Morris Funeral Chapel4 Division St, Bowmanville, ON L1C 2Z1 905-623-5480 (24 Hours)www.morrisfuneralchapel.ca No Service Option $1,993 HST Included Celebration of Life $3,067 HST Included Co-Ordination, Documentation, Shelter, Transfer of Remains, Coroner, Death Registration, Aquamation, HST Co-ordination, Documents, Staff, Facilities 3hrs, Transfer of Remains, Poplar Urn, Guest Book, Coroner, Death Registration, Aquamation, HST Affordable & Compassionate Service Family Owned & OperatedTrevor CharbonneauOwner/Funeral Director Family Owned And Operated Since 1953Family Owned And Operated Since 1953 733 KINGSTON RD. E. AJAX MON-WED/SAT: 9AM-6pM, THURS/FRI: 9AM-7pM SUN AND HOlIDAyS: 10AM-5pM @macmillanorchards1953 X-LARGE - JUMBO BLACK TIGER SHRIMP COOKED - PEELED - DEVEINED COMPARE @ $25 - $30 NEVER AGAIN $13.99 340 gm bag13-16 shrimp tion, Reg. Coun. Steve Yamada and Centre Ward Coun. Joanne Drumm were opposed. However, in what was perhaps a surprise move, Mayor Don Mitchell on Feb. 1 led a fundraising challenge of his council colleagues by starting the private contributions with a $200 pledge. Every other councillor has since pledged $100, as has Whitby Chief Administrative Officer Matt Gaskell, meaning the fund already has at least $1,100 in it. It just needs a further $8,900 to reach its target. Getting there, however, could be complicated. Gaskell said the Town of Whitby cannot issue charitable receipts for donations, so contributions by Whitby residents will be part of a general pool that now sits at close to $2 million. There may be no way to separately track Whitby donations to see whether the town has reached the $10,000 goal. During the Jan. 31 meeting, citizens messaged several councillors to say they would contribute to the private fund. Rizwan Mohammed, of the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCC), at the Jan. 17 meeting said individual Canadians had contributed $1.9 million to the legal challenge, and municipalities have added another $500,000 in funds. At least nine Canadian municipalities have contributed taxpayers' dollars, including Toronto ($100,000), the Region of Durham (50,000) and Pickering. Mohammed said it's his expectation the challenge will go through the courts and on to the Supreme Court of Canada. It's estimated the entire legal bill will end up costing $3.1 million. Quebec's controversial Bill 21 bans the wearing of religious symbols in the classroom, the civil service and other government-funded occupations. In interviews after the meeting, councillors admitted they had heard loud and clear from citizens after the initial committee vote. East Ward Coun. Maleeha Shahid, who had said at the Jan. 17 meeting, "What a relief to see the Town of Whitby council bring unanimous support to this ($10,000 donation) .... This is a very important step. We don't want any other province following Quebec," voted the other way on Jan. 31. She said constituents had told her they didn't want their tax dollars being spent on an issue out of province. But some residents went further and made vulgar comments to the only Muslim on Whitby council. "I'm not going to lie ... it was heartbreaking to get those emails and phone calls. And those phone calls were not a pretty picture. We are so divided right now," she said. Shahid did say she wound up "happy with this middle ground." Reg. Coun. Rhonda Mulcahy also heard from residents. "It (opposition) was about fighting fights in other provinces with our tax dollars; it got people riled up," she said. STORY BEHIND THE STORY: Councillors had voted to donate $10,000 for the legal challenge to stop Bill 21, the Quebec legislation that bans the wearing of religious symbols for certain public service jobs. However, feedback from residents prompted councillors to reverse their vote and opt for private fundraising instead. COUNCIL '(USING TAXPAYER DOLLARS) GOT PEOPLE RILED UP': COUNCILLOR RHONDA MULCAHY Continued from front Whitby Reg. Coun. Rhonda Mulcahy said residents who contacted her about the donation said they didn't want council "fighting fights in other provinces." Rhonda Mulcahy photo SCAN THE CODE to read more Whitby news at durhamregion.com