No sanction for Coun. Janz after derogatory 'pig' retweet
Edmonton city council voted unanimously on Wednesday not to sanction Coun. Michael Janz for a retweet he made that used a derogatory word for police officers.
“In the opinion of our integrity commissioner as we’ve heard, there was a clear violation of our code of conduct," Coun. Andrew Knack said Wednesday. "That can’t be ignored and should not be ignored, but an apology has been provided, a removal of the offending tweet has been deleted, and they have not recommended any further sanctions, so truly in my mind, that is the proper process.”
On May 29, Janz retweeted the following post:
“So this week a co-worker got a $409 ticket for failing to stop his bike at a stop sign. It was 7am in a residential area, the roads were empty, except for the pig hiding in the bushes.
The person who hit me with her car got a $47 ticket for failing to signal.
Seems fair.”
He took the retweet down, but seven complaints were made to the city’s integrity commissioner as a result of the retweet.
On June 28, Janz posted an apology to his social media:
“On May 29, 2022, I retweeted a post that referred to an unidentified member of Calgary law enforcement using a derogatory term. I quickly deleted that post, but not before it was viewed by members of the public. I recognize that retweeting a post containing a derogatory term is contrary to the expectations of the Council Code of Conduct. I apologize to anyone who was offended by the retweeting of this post.”
Integrity Commissioner Jamie Pytel found in her report that the use of the word “pig” in the tweet was a violation of the Council Code of Conduct bylaw, but since Janz had apologized, she recommended that council not take further action.
She noted in her report that council was free to ignore her recommendation.
“These complaints are a reminder of what the code expects from council on social media, and it’s a reminder that council can take a leadership role in terms of raising the bar, in terms of what is posted on social media,” Pytel said Wednesday.
“The words we use have more power than an average person’s words, and they can actually impact other people, and they do impact other people,” said Mayor Amarjeet Sohi.
“I want to acknowledge councillor Janz for stepping up to acknowledge his mistake and doing so promptly. When he found out this was done, he immediately deleted that retweet, and I think that also demonstrates his commitment that he took that very seriously.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.