'A recent onslaught': London, Ont. social service agency calls out city councillor’s social media campaign
A social service agency that offers support primarily geared to sex workers has written a pointed letter to London City Council, but appears to be focused on one council member in particular.
Just before noon on Tuesday, Ward 4 Coun. Susan Stevenson was seen in front of SafeSpace London at 679 Dundas St., being interviewed by media organization True North.
She stayed with them as they interviewed other people on the street.
It is one day after the SafeSpace board wrote the letter asking for more dialogue and less of what they call “a recent onslaught of traditional and social media attention.”
"At SafeSpace we're really focused on the work we're doing supporting sex workers, allies, women and gender-diverse folks in crisis,” said Rachel Berdan, chair of the SafeSpace board of directors.
The letter sites significant concerns about a duly elected public official denigrating their operations. While Stevenson isn't named, she has frequently taken to social media to call into question how funding for SafeSpace is being used and the work being done there.
"Truthfully we would love if there were actual questions about our operation; that they came to the organization,” Berdan told CTV News London.
She said the social media messaging has become a distraction from the organization’s core mandate.
Stevenson said she will continue to use various media forms to raise concerns.
SafeSpace Board Chair Rachel Berdan raises concerns about interviews being done near SafeSpace in London, Ont. on May 7, 2024. (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London)
"I have a right as a duly elected councillor to speak with people, and they have right to know where their taxpayer dollars are going and have a say in that decision,” she said.
Stevenson has questioned whether the $65,000 a month the city provided for winter shelter beds was being used for promotional materials she feels are questionable.
"I didn't post anything that wasn’t currently on their website or that wasn't publicly posted,” she explained. “I'm not peeking through windows, or taking pictures or doing anything they're not publicly sharing and I think the public should know what it is that they’re funding.”
Stevenson has faced two inquiries by the city's Integrity Commissioner, and was reprimanded in connection with one of those inquiries. She was linked to social media posts with images of homeless individuals that included references to criminality.
She said she's not concerned about the possibilities of more complaints.
"I'm not going to be bullied into silence,” she said. “I represent the people of this ward that deserve to have a voice.”
Gesturing to people camped on the street she said, “They elected me to have a voice and you don't get to make unsubstantiated claims about 'harm' and all this kind of stuff when there is literal harm happening here."
At one point, Berdan approached Stevenson and the media members, and asked if they had been getting explicit consent from the people they were talking with and then asking them to find a different location.
They moved down the street and continued to speak with others on the street.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING NEWS 'A horrible way to start the summer': 3 killed in serious boat crash on lake north of Kingston, Ont.
Three people were killed and five others were injured Saturday night following a boat crash on the Buck Bay area of Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont., the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) said.
Walmart, Costco refusing to sign grocery code of conduct 'untenable': industry minister
Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says it's 'untenable' for 'smaller players' like Walmart and Costco to delay signing on to the government- and industry-led grocery code of conduct, now that industry giant Loblaw has agreed to do so.
Diddy admits beating ex-girlfriend Cassie, says he's sorry, calls his actions 'inexcusable'
Sean 'Diddy' Combs admitted Sunday that he beat his ex-girlfriend in a hotel hallway in 2016 after CNN released video of the attack, saying in a video apology he was 'truly sorry' and his actions were 'inexcusable.'
French security forces work to regain control of airport highway in violence-scorched New Caledonia
Using armoured vehicles and backhoes to shove aside charred barricades, French security forces worked Sunday to retake control of the highway to the international airport in violence-scorched New Caledonia, shuttered because of deadly unrest wracking the French Pacific archipelago where indigenous people have long sought independence from France.
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
Helicopter carrying Iran's hard-line president apparently crashes in foggy, mountainous region
A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, the country's foreign minister and other officials apparently crashed in the mountainous northwest reaches of Iran on Sunday, sparking a massive rescue operation in a fog-shrouded forest as the public was urged to pray.
VIDEO Born without front legs, this dog has been inspiring the world for 3 years: Dresden farm owner
A sanctuary dedicated to animals with disabilities is celebrating the third birthday of one of its most popular residents.
Canadian immigration asks medical worker fleeing Gaza if he treated Hamas fighters
Lawyers are questioning Canada’s approach to screening visa applications for people in Gaza with extended family in Canada after one applicant, a medical worker, was asked whether he had treated members of Hamas.
Ottawa driver who appeared to be racing another vehicle on Highway 416 facing charges
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says an Ottawa driver is facing charges after being caught going 187 km/h on Highway 416.