The Association for Reformed Political Action (ARPA) Canada is challenging the City of Hamilton after its mayor forced the removal of one of the advocacy group's billboards in the city.

On Aug. 8, the Christian political advocacy organization found out that its billboard advertising its ongoing “Let Kids Be” campaign, urging a stop to medical transition procedures for minors, was being taken down at the City of Hamilton’s directive.

Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath wrote on her Bluesky social media account that “this afternoon, my office was made aware of a transphobic ad on a billboard along the Linc (the Lincoln Alexander Parkway).” She then stated that “while the billboard is not city-owned, it sits on city-leased space and city advertising rules were not followed. We’ve directed Astral Media to remove it and put stronger safeguards in place.”

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The 62-year-old politician concluded her remarks by declaring “we are also a community that will not stand by when confronted by hate. Love will always be louder.”

John Sikkema, the in-house legal counsel for ARPA Canada, told The Catholic Register that the organization plans on filing a legal challenge this month. ARPA Canada paid $18,000 to Astral Media to display the billboard advertisement that includes a link to the campaign website letkidsbe.ca. The site itself features a gallery of scientific research from other countries that concluded medical transitioning (administering puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and conducting surgeries) to treat gender dysphoria is a practice that should be be curtailed.

Sikkema said ARPA Canada, nor the local volunteers who placed the ad, received any direct correspondence from the mayor’s office that the billboard would be taken down.

“It was just announced on social media,” said Sikkema. “It was clear she thought this was a political win for her and that her decision was politically motivated. (It’s) not that other decisions are not ideologically motivated, but this one is just transparently so, and that should make for an interesting case.”

Late last month Sikkema submitted a piece to the National Post outlining a series of incidents in recent years Hamilton has challenged freedom of expression.

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In 2018, the Christian Heritage Party (CHP) prevailed over the City of Hamilton as a panel of Ontario Superior Court of Justice judges found the city violated procedural fairness protocols when officials removed bus shelter ads without contacting the CHP to allow it to state its case. The judges ruled the city also failed to consider the freedom of expression rights enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the city was forced to pay CHP’s legal costs.

Two years ago, Hamilton was ordered to pay the legal fees of ARPA Canada after it refused authorization for an advertisement on the side of a city bus opposing sex-selective abortion.

However, the city secured a late 2024 lower court ruling over CHP regarding a bus shelter ad with the text “Woman: An Adult female.” The city did, on this occasion, reach out to the CHP with its rationale. The claim is that the ad would make the transit system unsafe and unwelcoming for transgender people.

CHP is appealing the decision.

Sikkema suggested this ruling “probably emboldened the city” into taking the action it did months later with the “Let Kids Be” billboard.

The long-time constitutional lawyer observed that “what’s disturbing to me is just how these towns don't seem to be too worried about the Charter” and how “our courts are fairly weak on interpreting freedom of expression and coming up with justifications for it.”

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He articulated that protecting these freedoms are important to ensure “important debates like are women female and should we be paying for medical transitions for minors — both with huge social and legal implications" — can be staged with all voices heard and represented.

The City of Hamilton did not respond to the Register's requests for comment.