HALIFAX: When delegates gather at the annual Fall Conference of the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities (NSFM) in Halifax in early November, a topic of discussion will certainly be the growing
vitriol faced by municipal leaders.
Online threats and harassment are becoming a more common feature of political life in Nova Scotia. Many municipal leaders and public servants are finding threatening behaviour, particularly in online forums, a common occurrence.
“We as a society cannot allow dangerous rhetoric against public officials to become normalized,” says Mayor David Mitchell, President-elect of NSFM. “Unfortunately, discourse, particularly online, has reached a point where perpetrators of threats and harassment against public officials feel they can do so without consequences.
“If the temperature is not lowered, we will all suffer the repercussions of this unacceptable behaviour.”
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NSFM has recently been made aware that some municipal officials in the province, including the current President of NSFM, Mayor Pam Mood, are in receipt of online comments and messages that are not only derogatory, but physically threatening in nature.
In some cases, the seriousness of the comments and threats were such that they have been handed over to law enforcement for investigation.
President-elect Mitchell says, “these comments are unfortunate and unnecessary. The Board of NSFM stands firmly behind our President.”
Mitchell feels the recent wave of comments are connected to the province’s decision to pause some aspects of the Municipal Code of Conduct, including the ability of the public to lodge complaints against
municipal officials, pending further review.
“A number of Code of Conduct complaints have been made against council members relating simply to how they voted on a certain matter. Submitting a complaint against a councillor because someone didn’t like how they voted on an item clogs the system,” says President-elect Mitchell.
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Many complaints that have been received by municipalities are not related to actual Code of Conduct matters.
“What is being worked on now is a mechanism to ensure Code of Conduct complaints can be addressed fully, while those unrelated to the Code are redirected,” adds President-elect Mitchell.
While the Provincial Government’s pause to the Code as changes are made may be frustrating to citizens, it does not justify dangerous rhetoric or threats towards anyone.
NSFM encourages any elected officials at the municipal level, or at any other level, who are receiving threats to report the matter to their local police force immediately.
