After receiving threats, Summerside's mayor returns to social media with a message

Summerside's mayor has returned to social media and open-to-the-public office hours after an experience with online harassment that he ultimately had to report to police. 

Since his election in November 2022, Dan Kutcher had been more active than many municipal politicians on social media platforms, and his open-office policy on Friday mornings could be considered unusual among public figures. But he felt that kind of outreach was valuable. 

"It always looks different and particular to the individual, and that's OK. I really think that this role is to try and make sure that our community is a better place than it would be if we weren't … trying to make people's lives better across the board," Kutcher told CBC News in an interview.

"What's really important is that I take the time to understand their perspective and to be able to share mine."

His online presence led to some difficult conversations with residents, but he said they typically never escalated beyond respectful disagreements. 

That is until about six months ago, when Kutcher began receiving repeated online messages from a man who eventually became more aggressive in his interactions. He would not go into detail about specifics. 

Those intereactions culminated in direct threats against the mayor and his family, which Kutcher was advised to report to the police. That's when he decided to take a break from social media. 

"That's something that you don't expect when you go in to serve in these types of roles." 

Online harassment and threats against politicians, particularly female ones, are on the rise in this province and across the country. 

That's according to the P.E.I. Coalition for Women in Government, which has been contacted by five municipally elected officials within the past six months alone about online harassment and abuse. 

Sarah Outram, the coalition's executive director, said the P.E.I. government needs to consider tougher legislation and consequences for that type of behaviour. 

"The internet is not a villain here; it is a tool that can be used, and unfortunately folks are using that tool for harassment, to commit acts of tech-facilitated violence," Outram said.

"But … an instance of harassment online can translate to in-person harassment. That is a clear trend in the data that we see and it's something that we're looking to prevent continuing."

She said women of colour, people who are gender-diverse, and those who hold a different sexuality are particularly vulnerable to online hate. It can get so bad it deters people from going into politics, Outram said, leading to less diverse representation.