Bid to curb social media use by Iqaluit councillors dies on first reading

Iqaluit councillors Stephen Mansell, far right, and Kenny Bell, next to him, got into a war of words June 23 over a new bylaw that would govern councillors’ conduct. Mayor Mary Wilman, left, eventually joined the fray. On Aug. 12, however, council killed another restrictive bylaw that would have curbed social media use by councillors. (FILE PHOTO)

Iqaluit councillor Kenny Bell, you may tweet your heart out: a bylaw aiming to curb Iqaluit city councillors’ social media use died on its first reading at a council meeting Aug. 11.

Bell was not in attendance when council voted down the bylaw, which went by the clunky title, “Social Media Use By City Councillors and Committee Members Bylaw.”

But the bylaw was similar to another one, dubbed the councillor code of conduct, which passed third reading at a July 14 council meeting.

The code of conduct bylaw, which Bell strongly opposed at a June 23 council meeting, aims to govern how councillors present themselves both within council and in public.

Some of the features of that bylaw include respecting the right of others to hold differing opinions, being on time for council meetings and always speaking well of fellow councillors and the council in public.

The proposed social media bylaw also aimed at restricting councillors’ conduct, but specifically on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook.

And it was on Twitter that Bell, who, is vacationing outside Nunavut right now, let his thoughts be known about the social media bylaw.

“Another load of shit from the [City of Iqaluit],” Bell tweeted Aug. 7 in response to the first and second readings of the bylaw scheduled for Aug. 11.

But the similarity in the two bylaws is why, in part, Coun. Stephen Mansell told Nunatsiaq News he voted against the proposed social media policies.

“I felt the [code of conduct bylaw] was an adequate bylaw in that it was very well drafted and thought out. I didn’t think we needed to go further,” Mansell said during break at the Aug. 11 council meeting.

Councillors are already bound by that bylaw when they’re using social media, he added.

The social media bylaw also had “fundamental drafting errors” and went “broader” than Mansell said he was comfortable supporting.

“I didn’t think we needed it and I wasn’t prepared to support it.”

Councillors Noah Papatsie and Joanasie Akumalik joined Mansell in voting against the bylaw’s first reading, while Romeyn Stevenson and Simon Nattaq both voted in favour of it.

The failed bylaw, according to a handout at the council meeting, was meant to ensure councillors “maintain a positive image as city representatives and that their communications through social media channels are accurate, consistent and professional.”

The bylaw was not intended to interfere with councillors’ right to freedom of speech, the handout said, but to protect the city from possible court actions.

Conduct that would have been disallowed under the proposed bylaw include electronic communications that promote discrimination, illegal activity or is “abusive in nature” — as determined by the mayor.