Integrity Commissioner Criticizes Councillor’s Conduct in Social Media Complaint Report
- Monday, July 21st, 2025 - 9:49 am
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A recent Integrity Commissioner report has found that Guelph Ward 2 resident and Ward 1 Councillor Erin Caton exercised “questionable judgment” by publicly referencing a banned resident in a Facebook discussion about civic policy.
The 7-page report, prepared by Aird & Berlis LLP and scheduled for presentation to Guelph City Council on July 22, 2025, addresses a formal complaint alleging that Councillor Caton targeted a constituent in a post to a public Facebook group.
The Integrity Commissioner confirmed that:
- Councillor Caton intentionally referenced the complainant using a euphemism;
- She did so in a public forum where the individual could not view or respond to the conversation;
- The post triggered mocking comments that identified the complainant by name or variation.
The report criticizes the conduct as inappropriate.
“We find the Member may not have exercised good judgment when they unnecessarily referenced the Complainant in a Facebook group that the Complainant does not have access to,” the report states.
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The Commissioner further noted that the tone of the Member’s comment was “perhaps mocking,” and issued a general warning to all members of Council:
“We urge all members to exercise due restraint before making social media posts which single out individual members of the public. Such posts are generally unnecessary and may give rise to Code complaints impacting the City’s resources.”
Importantly, the Commissioner determined that Councillor Caton had created what the Code refers to as a “municipal public forum” by posting about Council business in a public online space:
“We find that the Member created a ‘municipal public forum’ when they posted in a public Facebook group about a matter directly tied to their role as a Member of Council.”
(Paragraph 19, Section F: Determination)
This designation carries obligations under Section 8 of the City’s Code of Conduct, including the responsibility to moderate abusive or inappropriate replies in civic discussions — particularly when those targeted are unable to participate.
The report represents the first test case for Guelph’s updated social media conduct rules, which were revised in May 2025.
Cover image used under fair dealing for news reporting. Source: Instagram / Councillor Erin Caton
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jacob44
I know of so many city staff who cannot stand this crazy lady.