Coun. Janz facing complaint over retweet calling police officer a 'pig'
An Edmonton city councillor on Monday both apologized for a social media post he shared and called an attempt to have him sanctioned for it a "smear job."
On May 29, Janz retweeted a post from a man in Calgary who referred to a police officer as a "pig."
The Ward papastew representative said he did so to highlight what he feels were instances of policing favouring drivers over cyclists. Janz claims he didn't initially notice the "pig" reference but deleted it when he was made aware of it.
"I apologize to anyone who was offended by this and who has concerns with it…Twitter moves fast. You make spelling errors, you make mistakes, you delete them, you move on," Janz said in an interview with CTV News Edmonton.
Integrity Commissioner Jamie Pytel is now looking into the matter as a code of conduct complaint, Janz said.
The man who filed the complaint said Janz sharing the tweet was "very disrespectful" to members of the Edmonton Police Service.
"Cut the derogatory language like 'pigs.' You know, we see in the public, we get the sense (Janz) has a hate for the police. I want them to be resolved," resident Thomas Deak told CTV News Edmonton.
Earlier this year, Janz was cleared by Pytel for tweets critical of police. The Edmonton Police Association launched the complaint in that case. The commissioner concluded that Janz was exercising an opinion on a topic of public interest.
Janz said he felt the new complaint was an effort to silence him.
"This whole thing feels like a bit of a fishing trip. It's a vexatious waste of taxpayers time and dollars," he said. "Anyone who's on social media knows that retweets are not endorsements."
Edmonton's Council Code of Conduct requires councillors to "conduct themselves with decorum at all times" and refrain from "disrespectful" language towards others.
A violation of the code could lead to a councillor being forced to apologize or required to attend "specialized training." Councillors can also be suspended from certain roles, if a council vote approves that.
Janz tweeted an apology on Tuesday.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Chelan Skulski
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Friday that Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.