A Nova Scotia mayor is urging the province to take action after years of online harassment.
Yarmouth Mayor Pam Mood is no stranger to the spotlight of small town politics. For 14 years she’s dealt with criticism from constituents, both fair and unfair, but now she’s urging the province to take action.
“I felt very strongly that I needed to address it, it doesn’t affect how I make decisions,” said Mood. “There’s a new generation of leaders coming up and I wouldn’t want them to look at what I go through and think ‘I can’t step into that’, that would be unfair to the public.”
Mood said she only started blocking hateful comments earlier this summer, and at the time had to block six accounts online.
That number has since grown to over 200.
Mood said she receives constant criticism, often about her body, her travel schedule and even decisions completely beyond her control. She said it’s often female elected officials who see a disproportionate amount of hate online, and that some of it is so ridiculous all she can do is smile and laugh.
Other comments are more sinister.
“It’s everything from you know, ‘sneak up behind her and snap her neck’… people were around the house a couple times, folks said they were going to find my home and ‘make things happen,’” said Mood.
When one person said they were going to burn her house down with her in it, Mood said she had to take steps to protect herself, and filed for a peace bond with local police.
“I have grandchildren,” said Mood. “Whether or not that happens is one thing, but just the fact that somebody can say that. It will really put other people off from stepping into positions like this, and we need strong people who have integrity and are willing to tell the truth, even though it’s hard to hear.”
Police have had to evacuate Mood from her home for safety reasons multiple times.
Now she’s asking the province to come up with legislation to protect local politicians from the backlash they face.
“They’re starting to work on things at a federal level, and it’s not just the Town of Yarmouth, this is one of many municipalities, I’d say across Canada, but it’s across the world,” said Mood. “Social media has allowed people to just do things that they would never do otherwise unless they were hiding behind their keyboard.”
Mood said she’s not the only person she knows who’s had to be escorted from their home by police for safety concerns.
“Legislation is the only way to go, I can’t write you a ticket or arrest you unless it’s against the law,” said Mood. “Let’s make some laws that protect people.”
