Social media can be a useful tool, and most people understand that it should be used for socializing, entertainment, or, depending on the source, as a credible resource for information. It’s a great way to stay connected with family and friends and people with similar interests as you.
Unfortunately, anyone can post on social media without a requirement to be accurate, truthful, or transparent. Some online groups are set up for this purpose and encourage this type of dialogue. Many people make posts that advance their own special interest without fully disclosing all the information and in a way that makes their position look better.
For obvious reasons related to the protection of privacy or confidential matters, municipal staff can’t post information on social media with details about specific files or specific individuals. We also don’t have the resources to respond to each inaccurate or false statement posted on the internet. We do, however, have the advantage of considering the complete information and understanding all the facts on a file, which gives us confidence in our approaches and decision making.
Municipal employees across the province are professionals. We are highly trained in our fields, often require licences by regulating bodies, and we have an extensive network of peers we rely on. We have decades of historical context on files and properties that help us with our duties. We have legal responsibilities and work every day to keep our citizens safe. We help people achieve their goals and enforce laws as determined by our Council. We do all of this in an impartial way.
Part of our responsibilities include ensuring compliance to existing laws that are in place as approved by Council. These cover a wide range of topics including the Ontario Building Code, the Ontario Fire Code, municipal zoning laws and many others. Our staff work hard following the laws our community has approved. Much of our enforcement work is complaint based and we try to focus on the big infractions, or ones that will have a ripple effect.
We successfully process hundreds of permits and licences every year and amicably resolve complaints on a daily basis. A small handful of files not resolved in the same manner should not take away from that. Many times in a year, law abiding citizens wish to make changes to the rules, using tools such as Zoning By-law Amendments. In these cases, staff work with the individual and, where possible, suggest ways to assist with their needs. Unfortunately, there are some areas where we can’t provide assistance, particularly in cases that include contraventions of the Fire Code or Building Code or in situations where a tenant wishes to make changes to a property without the property owner’s permission or awareness. It is our responsibility to enforce infractions, and amendments or exceptions to these legislated codes are not possible at the municipal level.
It is our experience that most residents are open and transparent about their goals and although they may not always like the process, they work with us to help them achieve a positive outcome.
That said, it has become commonplace for people to take to social media to share their disapproval or dislike. When that is done in a respectful and meaningful way, it can create opportunities for positive discussion and reflection. However, when information posted online is disrespectful, inaccurate, or slanderous, it can be incredibly harmful.
Some municipalities are being forced to take very aggressive and expensive responses to ongoing social media attacks as these attacks create unfounded community divide and sow distrust amongst community members.
We encourage all to consider the following when reading a social media post:
• The perspective of the poster and what they are trying to gain from their post
• Whether ‘the story’ makes sense when read critically
• How facts can be checked
Also, please remember that municipal staff are members of your community - your neighbours, friends, and relatives. Attempting to harass another person online is never okay - especially when they can’t respond -and we all have a responsibility to speak out against it.
2023-07-06
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