How to Waste Time During an Election Campaign: Spread Lies with Supposed Twitter Parody Accounts

There are lots of ways to waste time during an election campaign, but none so effective as parody Twitter accounts that spread lies about the person whom that account is supposed to represent, criticize, or parody.

I don’t for a minute believe my opponent for the mayor’s chair in Abbotsford, or any of his trusted supporters or advisors (paid or volunteer), knows or has anything to do with the anonymous accounts that are supposed to parody me. He and his crew are too busy for that.

But, certainly, there is someone who finds it necessary to spend his or her time telling lies and twisting truths.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t care if I am criticized. Or if a little fun is poked at me. What I do care about is lies. And that these lies affect other members of council, city staff, my family, and the people of Abbotsford, not just me.

And I care that these parody accounts are wasting my time—time I could be using to do something far more productive.

Why are they wasting my time? Because I have to stop and read what they’ve written. I wouldn’t be responsible if I didn’t. After reading them, I choose to not respond to the content of these accounts’ tweets because typically they aren’t much more than a nuisance from a source that isn’t courageous enough to use his or her real picture or name; however, I will be going through the tweets a little more carefully this week because some of the statements are just plain lies—the sort that can’t be mistaken for pokes, jokes, or misunderstandings. And that’s not right.

There are three things out there I’d like to clarify with my comments right now:  

1. I will not be eliminating Sunday shopping. And I won’t be advocating to eliminate it. Why would I when so many of our small, medium, and large businesses count on it for revenue and so many of our citizens count on those businesses for employment? Simply doesn’t make sense.  
2. None of the companies I have ever owned has filed for or declared bankruptcy. Approximately one year after my brothers and I sold Pacific Northern Rail Contractors Corp. (PNR) to RailWorks Corporation (a U.S. company), RailWorks filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. RailWorks had been buying one company per month for 27 straight months before filing for bankruptcy protection. During the ordeal, PNR remained a very profitable company and was not dragged into the U.S. bankruptcy; in fact, PNR continued to grow and prosper during the two years (roughly) the U.S. parent company was in bankruptcy. My two brothers and I, who each had a 45-month employment contract from the date of sale, lived through the U.S. bankruptcy but were not affected by it in Canada. The U.S. parent came out of bankruptcy while we were still there and today PNR (the company we sold), employs roughly 700 people in Canada, compared to 350 when we sold.  
3. Yes, I am Christian. I have been for many years and plan to remain so. Does that pose a problem?

If you ever have a question about something you’ve read about me, my record, or my business experience, or if you need greater clarity on any of the points I’ve made in this blog post, please write to me directly or or give me a call. I’ll be happy to answer your questions—most likely in more than 140 characters.