A city council member in Ottawa is advocating for the suspension of all city accounts on the social media platform X, citing it as being “very negative,” filled with misinformation, and linked to potential tariffs against Canada.
Laura Dudas, the councillor for Orléans West-Innes, has put forward a motion to the council’s finance and corporate services committee to consider this action. She is urging city officials to develop a plan to cease the use of X accounts and transition to alternative platforms.
In her motion, Dudas expressed that X, along with its owner Elon Musk, no longer adhere to the values of “transparency, impartiality, respect, and accountability,” which she deems essential for the city’s principles.
Her concerns about the platform’s negative and misleading content align with her desire to distance the city from Musk, particularly in light of his close ties to the former Donald Trump administration, which had threatened tariffs against Canada.
Dudas highlighted that the discussion on whether X is a reliable source of information has been ongoing for a while, emphasizing that the looming tariffs make this an opportune moment to address the issue.
The city has maintained its primary English X account since December 2008 and operates multiple other accounts on X for services such as bylaw enforcement, OC Transpo, paramedics, firefighters, and traffic updates.
Council Members Transitioning from X
Dudas noted that she stopped using the platform when it was still known as Twitter, around the time Musk initiated the rebranding to X in the summer of 2023. While many city councillors are still on X, several have announced plans to discontinue its use.
“This will be my final post,” stated Theresa Kavanagh, councillor for Bay ward, in a recent X update. “I am moving on. Find me on Bluesky.”
Laine Johnson, councillor for College ward, also declared the dormancy of her Twitter account, encouraging followers to connect with her on Bluesky instead.
Sean Devine, councillor for Knoxdale-Merivale, recently announced that he will reserve his X account solely for urgent communications, having also established a presence on Bluesky.
Starting today, I will no longer use X for regular updates. The account will be active for urgent matters. You can reach me on BlueSky and Facebook. For immediate assistance, email me at knodalemerivale@ottawa.ca
Bluesky, a social media alternative that emerged from Twitter and became an independent entity in 2021, is gaining traction. While several city accounts have been set up on Bluesky, they have not yet commenced posting. Notably, Ottawa Public Health and the Ottawa Police Service are actively engaging on Bluesky, alongside their presence on X.
However, for now, these entities are maintaining accounts on both X and Bluesky concurrently.
Dudas specifically referenced Bluesky as a potential alternative, clarifying that her motion does not encompass arms-length agencies like those previously mentioned.
Consideration for Emergency Situations
In previous instances, Dudas has directed attention toward social media companies, including Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram.
She previously initiated a motion to cease the city’s advertising on these platforms following Meta’s decision to block Canadian access to news articles amid a dispute over compensating journalistic content.
Although this motion narrowly failed to pass, Dudas remains steadfast in her advocacy for transitioning away from certain social media platforms.
If the current motion is approved by the committee and subsequently by the council, Ottawa would join other Canadian cities like North Vancouver, which recently discontinued their X account, and Prince George, which restricted its use to emergencies only.
Dudas acknowledged that city staff in Ottawa have raised concerns regarding the city’s ability to disseminate emergency information if they were to abandon X. She indicated a willingness to discuss exemptions for emergency scenarios.
The motion does not specify
