Springfield social media policy sparks concerns

The RM of Springfield council reviewed a Social Media Moderation & Public Engagement Procedure at its Sept. 2 meeting, but not everyone is convinced the policy will protect transparency.

The municipality says the policy is designed to maintain “respectful, productive, and accurate communication” on its official social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram. It outlines rules for hiding or deleting comments that contain profanity, threats, hate speech, spam, or misinformation and allows staff to block repeat offenders.

The draft also states that comments deemed defamatory, misleading, or reputational attacks may be removed without notice. Serious safety or legal concerns could be escalated to the chief administrative officer or, in some cases, the RCMP.

Community advocate Edwin Giesbrecht submitted a detailed critique of the draft warning that the policy risks going too far.

“While the draft is presented as a measure for civility and safety, the effect is to grant unchecked discretion to staff to censor residents, remove criticism without notice, and escalate ordinary comments to the CAO or RCMP,” he said.

Giesbrecht contrasted Springfield’s approach with other municipalities, such as the RM of Alexander, which he said responded narrowly to real harassment issues. Springfield’s draft, by comparison, seeks to police undefined terms like “misinformation,” “accusations,” and “defamation.”

“These powers go far beyond protecting staff from harassment and risk creating a chilling effect on lawful public criticism,” he said.

The municipality says the policy is necessary to keep online engagement respectful and safe. It stresses that threats, hate speech, or false information that could cause public harm will not be tolerated.

But critics argue that leaving the power of interpretation solely with staff opens the door to silencing dissent. Giesbrecht highlighted legal risks, governance gaps, and the danger of undermining public trust if residents feel their voices can be removed without explanation.

For now, the debate highlights a growing challenge for municipalities across Manitoba: how to protect staff and maintain civility online without eroding democratic engagement.

“Council must protect transparency and accountability rather than suppress it,” Giesbrecht said.

During the Sept. 2 meeting, Coun. Mark Miller voiced support for establishing clear guidelines on public comments to prevent racist or harmful speech, while stressing the importance of preserving open dialogue.

Miller acknowledged Giesbrecht’s concerns and emphasized the need to strike a balance between maintaining respectful discourse and protecting free expression.

“What we don’t want to do is funnel and kind of channel what the discussion is. We’re not a police state and we don’t want to be,” he said. “We want people to have the free ability to share information, share concerns … but not be racist or hurtful.”

» Winnipeg Sun