Mayor hits back at online attacks

The mayor of Prince Edward County is taking strong exception to a comment posted by a county resident.

On Friday, the Globe and Mail published a commentary in its business section regarding the leaders involved in the current conflict between Israel and Iran, and including the U.S.

One comment suggested a nice fantasy photo would include a jail cell filled with “the Ayotallah, Trump, Netanyahu, and the Hamas boss, all in for a 50-year stay.”

In response, Wellington On The Lake resident Al Brosseau posted “include Putin, Kim Jong Un, and Ferguson (the mayor of Prince Edward County).”

In a Facebook post Saturday, Steve Ferguson said freedom of speech is the bedrock of any functioning democracy but when it is mean-spirited, personal slander, and untrue it becomes “personal harassment.”

The mayor also said that online attacks on himself, other members of council, and municipal staff have been “deeply troubling.”

Below is the full statement from Mayor Ferguson as posted on Facebook Saturday June 21.

I have been absent from posting on FB for a while. This statement may explain why.

Freedom of speech is the bedrock of any functioning democracy. In the political arena, critique and disagreement are not only expected, but they are also necessary. But let me be crystal clear: mean-spirited, personal slander disguised as free speech—especially when delivered anonymously or while hiding behind the veil of social media—all too often crosses the line from civic participation into targeted harassment.

Online attacks directed toward me, members of Council, and municipal staff have been deeply troubling. It is one thing to disagree with Council decisions or staff’s performance, it is another to vilify individuals with defamatory and malicious comments, turning policy disputes into personal assaults. This behaviour undermines the very spirit of community integrity and civic respect we claim to uphold.

The vicious comment made by Wellington On The Lake resident Al Brosseau in the Globe and Mail on Friday, June 20, 2025, (and available to The Globe’s on-line subscribers, of which I am one), and circulated to his email address list, is a case in point – a disgusting and stark example of how personal animosity can evolve into public cruelty—disparaging, untrue, and unbecoming of civil discourse.

The screenshot is of the email I and others received from Mr. Brosseau on June 20.

What concerns me particularly is the long-term impact this type of behaviour has on our democracy. What intelligent, committed, or community-minded individual would willingly step into public service if the cost of participating in Council—of serving this County as an employee, or volunteering to sit on a committee—is to be subjected to personal attacks, professional smearing, and social media slander. We cannot allow disagreement to mutate into character assassination. We cannot let toxic discourse silence good leadership.

Let this be a moment of reflection. Passionate debate is welcome. Accountability is essential. But those values mean nothing if they are drowned out by hostility, falsehoods, and cruelty. We must do better. As your Mayor, I remain committed to representing this community with integrity, transparency, and resolve—no matter how loud the few become.

Below is a screenshot of the actual comments available to the Globe and Mail’s online subscribers via email.