The City of Penticton has turned to the RCMP following a series of hateful and harassing social media comments directed at municipal employees.
In a statement Wednesday, the city confirmed it had referred recent online comments to police amid concerns they may have crossed the line from public criticism into harassment or potentially criminal behaviour.
City officials said residents have every right to question council decisions and hold local government accountable, but personal attacks, degrading comments, sexualized remarks and threats against employees are unacceptable.
City manager Anthony Haddad said there is an important distinction between criticizing municipal decisions and targeting the employees responsible for carrying them out.
“There is an important distinction between criticizing a decision and attacking the person who is doing their job,” said City Manager Anthony Haddad.
“Our employees should be able to come to work and serve this community without being subjected to this type of personal and degrading behaviour. We welcome legitimate public scrutiny and difficult conversations – that is part of local government – but there is no place for harassment, threats or personal attacks against our staff.”
The city said employees should not be subjected to personal attacks simply for performing their duties or implementing decisions made by council.
Officials confirmed information about the comments had been provided to Penticton RCMP and said police were investigating.
The city has pledged to support affected employees and co-operate with police where necessary.
Residents are being encouraged to raise concerns through official city channels, attend council meetings or submit written feedback rather than targeting individual employees online.
The city said respectful debate remains an essential part of democracy, but threats, harassment and personal attacks have no place in the community.
