Three Rivers council closes another meeting to the public following threats of violence
CBC
For the second time in just over a year, the Town of Three Rivers had to limit access to a public meeting after threats of violence.
Thursday night’s council meeting was closed following what the eastern P.E.I. town's mayor, Debbie Johnston, called “disturbing comments” posted on social media earlier that day.
Johnston said the decision was made after discussions with the RCMP.
In a statement emailed to CBC News, P.E.I. RCMP media relations officer Cpl. Gavin Moore confirmed the agency is investigating threats made against council on a social media platform.
“The comments were of a concerning nature and were in part in relation to the Town of Three Rivers,” Moore said in the statement.
“We maintain an open dialogue with the Town of Three Rivers with the goal of sharing any relevant information they can use in their decision making on holding public meetings."
It is the second time the RCMP has had to investigate threats of violence against the town's council. Last November, a public meeting was moved online after threats mentioning weapons.
While police did not provide details on the full nature of the most recent threats, Coun. Anne Van Donkersgoed told CBC News they are related to land and properties owned by Buddhist groups in the area, which have been the topic of concerns and speculation for years.
Van Donkersgoed and other councillors have been criticized by some over how much land the groups own.
“With all the misinformation and the name calling in the community and on social media, I'm very cautious about my safety and the safety of my family,” she said in a written statement to CBC News.
“Some people feel they can say anything they want no matter whether it's true or not. In my opinion this creates an environment where things can escalate into somebody being seriously hurt.”
Van Donkersgoed added she is disheartened to think there are people on P.E.I. who have “so little regard” for their fellow citizens.
Cory Deagle, P.E.I.'s minister of housing, land and communities, said in a statement that he does not condone threats of any kind.
“This is a very challenging time to be a local leader, and we recognize the pressures that come with these roles,” the statement reads.
In the closing days of the NDP leadership race, Avi Lewis's past activism has resurfaced. But the front-runner's campaign is standing by his past work and a decade-old vision that's been both criticized within the New Democrats' ranks and weaponized by their opponents.
Some rural municipalities want the province to know ambulance response times and basic care in their communities are not meeting the mark.
The sighting of a sniper on Saturday during St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Waterloo was met with fear and shock by some partygoers, but one policing expert says this was a proactive measure designed to keep the crowd safe.
A 25-year old Prince Edward Island man has been sentenced to six months in jail for firearms offences.
Closing schools, stalled housing starts — not common headlines in Alberta's booming cities.
Two MLAs and the Ka'a'gee Tu First Nation chief say they welcome the territory’s new trespassing legislation because they believe it will help address concerns about uninvited guests intruding in people’s homes and refusing to leave.
U.S. President Donald Trump is struggling to persuade other nations to help protect commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz — a development that analysts say is partly the result of treating allies with contempt since returning to the White House last year.
The actions of an Alberta judge who lost his temper and briefly jailed a defence lawyer in the middle of a trial were “unacceptable,” ruled the Judicial Inquiry Board, which recommended a 30-day suspension without pay for Justice Gordon Yake.
Irish-born chef Liam Brannigan says there are four words he loves to hear about the food he serves as he drives his food truck around southwestern Ontario.
Last spring, the Newfoundland and Labrador government announced a loan guarantee program for restaurants — but so far, businesses haven't tapped into it.
Several organizations and groups in Greater Sudbury, Ont. remain closed or operating under a modified schedule after a major storm hit the region Sunday night.
As Halifax scraps plans for a sobering centre, staff at similar facilities across Canada say they’re a crucial part of the continuum of care needed to address homelessness and addiction.
New Brunswick will table its latest budget Tuesday after months of warnings from Premier Susan Holt that spending in some areas will have to come down.