Kings of the hill
Pair of cyclists climb Observatory Hill 68 times Page A3
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SAANICHNEWS Friday, August 28, 2015
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Facebook comments cause a commotion at council Mayor agrees to more closely monitor remarks on Facebook page
was doing for the District of Saanich’s image, he said. “It’s not good to have these comments outstanding on Facebook, it doesn’t look good for staff, for the mayor, or for council,” Haynes said. “By leaving comments there, my impression is he’s endorsing them.” Travis Paterson When Haynes approached Atwell about News Staff removing defamatory comments last week, Atwell said he’d deal with it, but Katherine Whitworth was mid-sentence he didn’t do it fast enough for Haynes, in repeating potentially libellous commentary that exists on Mayor Richard and then agreed instead to debate it in council, Haynes said. Atwell’s Facebook page (titled Richard Whitworth, a Saanich resident, actually Atwell Mayor of Saanich) when Atwell attempted to repeat specific interrupted her during the comments from Atwell’s page public input portion of council when he stopped her to confer on Monday night. with staff. CAO Andy Laidlaw The topic of inappropriate asked only that Whitworth refrain comments, made by the public, from repeating the posts, which not Atwell, but sitting the she did. uncontested on Atwell’s mayoral The debate wore on, however, Facebook page (not his personal mostly over the nuances of page) led to a hotly contested moderating Facebook, including debate over the responsibility of monitoring libellous and Richard Atwell a declaration by Atwell that while his Facebook page is open to all, defamatory comments. Coun. Judy Brownoff’s (personal On Tuesday, Atwell added page) is not. He added he is not privy to he’s not deleted anything from the hers, as she did not accept his request to page following requests from council be a “friend” on Facebook. to monitor it with a greater degree of “I’m not as troubled with this as my accountability. counterparts are,” Atwell said. “Do I need “I felt we covered the issue in to go on a comment-for-comment basis? I council,” Atwell said. “There have think that’s overkill. It’s an open page … been no complaints from staff about but it’s also important that criticism be the comments. In the past, if someone respectful.” crossed the line, you needed someone “At the root of this is, where do we to come forward and say they’re being decide the line, when do posts go too defamed (before it was dealt with).” far?” asked Coun. Colin Plant. “When it’s Atwell added the page is an extension defamatory to staff. When it’s attached to of the transparent election platform he [the name of] Saanich. That’s when.” brought to Saanich in 2014. Plant’s comments were echoed by most Coun. Fred Haynes clearly sees things of council. differently. He brought the item, titled “If we let half truths and untruths go “disparaging comments on the mayor’s Facebook,” to Monday’s agenda. Members unchallenged we have a problem. It seems odd to discuss this issue here tonight,” of the community, including a local said Coun. Leif Wergeland. developer, expressed concern to him reporter@saanichnews.com about what the mayor’s Facebook page
Jacob Zinn/News Staff
Open-field challenge Kwantlen Eagles forward Justin Turner-Pearce takes a rough fall while pursuing the ball against Vikes midfielder Paulo Dait during a game at UVic on Sunday. While Kwantlen scored the game’s first goal, the Vikes bounced back to win 4-2.
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