Voters never gonna give him up? Can London, Ont.'s Van Meerbergen 'Rickroll' to re-election?
Fair tactics, dirty politics or just an election prank?
Ward 10 incumbent in London, Ont., Paul Van Meerbergen confirms that he no longer controls the website address listed on some of his election signs.
Instead, voters who go to paulvanmeerbergen.ca are ‘Rickrolled,’ an internet prank that unexpectedly redirects the viewer to the music video for the 1987 song ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ by singer Rick Astley.
The video has over 1.2 billion views on YouTube generated by Rickrolling since 2007.
Van Meerbergen says the situation has temporarily left him without a critical election tool.
“I think there is an expectation that you come into an election with a website, that the information is there,” he told CTV News.
Van Meerbergen admits he did not renew the registration of his web address when it came due — only to discover someone has anonymously purchased the URL for the next four years.
“Hate to admit that when I heard this story I laughed a little bit,” said technology expert Carmi Levy.
Levy points out that the damage caused to the incumbent councillor’s campaign could have been much worse if the address was used to damage Van Meerbergen’s reputation or it was held for ransom.
“Politicians should know that when you have a website and are using that website as part of your campaign, make sure that the registration for that domain doesn’t lapse,” he advised.
The timing of the registration suggests it’s more than a prank.
An online search reveals the web address was anonymously registered on Aug. 20, just three days after Van Meerbergen filed his papers to seek re-election.
Van Meerbergen said he has registered a new website address, pvanmeerbergen.ca and has started updating his old signs with the new URL.
“It’s very important and we expect it will be live in three days or so,” he said.
Advance polls open in less than two weeks.
Levy said getting an online campaign presence up and running should be a priority for all politicians.
“It is 2022 and if you are going to engage in politics, you are going to have to have a digital presence whether you like it or not,” he said. “That means websites, a social [media] presence, email and other things to meet people in the digital space where they live.”
The other candidates in Ward 10 are Claire Grant, John Kuypers, Kevin May and Michael McMullen.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Gangs netting up to US$3 trillion a year as Southeast Asia human trafficking becomes a global crisis, Interpol says
Human trafficking-fuelled fraud is exploding in Southeast Asia with organized crime rings raking in close to US$3 trillion in illicit revenue annually, the head of Interpol has said in comments that reveal the huge profits being earned by cartels.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.
Statistics Canada reports real GDP up 0.6% in January as Quebec strikes end
Statistics Canada says real gross domestic product grew 0.6 per cent in January, helped by the end of public sector strikes in Quebec in November and December.
Ukrainian child asylum seekers in St. John’s get class of their own
Roughly 50 children will gathered in a St. John’s classroom for the first time on Saturday for unique lessons on Ukrainian language, culture and history.