By Adam Frisk Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Highlands East mayoral candidate, Cheryl Ellis, said recent posts on her personal Facebook account do not reflect her municipal platform, while acknowledging that some of the material was “inflammatory” and could be seen as targeting specific groups.
This past Monday (Sept. 21), The Highlander reviewed the public Facebook accounts and campaign pages of all five Highlands East mayoral candidates – incumbent Dave Burton, Steven Kauffeldt, Mike Killingsworth, Krystle Anne Pegg and Ellis – as part of its election coverage. We looked at any public pages, whether official campaign pages or personal pages. The review covered the same period for each candidate. At the time of the review, Ellis’ personal Facebook page was publicly accessible.
Most of the posts across the candidates’ pages focused on campaign pledges, local events and life in Highlands East. Ellis was the only person who had a page including posts about federal policies and minority groups.
Posts published or reshared on Ellis’ personal Facebook page between July and August called for business boycotts over federal foreign worker programs, featured videos of anti-immigration demonstrations in Germany, criticized South Asian cultural practices, and referenced an “Alphabet Mafia” and a meme contrasting Western Muslim leaders with an image of a mass grave.
In emails to The Highlander, Ellis said multiple people have access to her personal account. She also clarified the posts did not appear on her dedicated “Cheryl For Mayor” campaign page, a profile created during her 2022 mayoral bid that appeared to have been reactivated Tuesday (Sept. 22) afternoon and which did not appear during our original audit.
“It’s not my campaign page, it’s my personal page,” Ellis said in a follow-up email. “My campaign page is titled Cheryl For Mayor.”
Ellis previously said more than one person uses her personal account.
“I also have that friend that posts things that are absolutely not my views, opinions or truthful,” Ellis said, adding she cannot confirm if she personally authored, posted, shared or captioned each post. “What I am asking is that you distinguish between material appearing on an account associated with me and stating as fact that I personally posted it.”
Questions about scrutiny
Ellis also questioned the focus of The Highlander’s review, asking whether equal scrutiny was applied across all candidates or directed specifically at her personal account.
“I have spoken with other candidates about this as well, and some have expressed they find it in rather poor taste for private or personal Facebook activity to become the subject of election reporting, particularly where it is not part of an official campaign page,” Ellis said. “I think it is important there be a clear distinction between an official campaign page and activity associated with personal profiles or other shared Facebook spaces. I would also expect the same standards of review and scrutiny to be applied consistently to every candidate.”
In an earlier statement provided to the newspaper on Monday, however, Ellis took responsibility for the personal account’s overall content.
“These posts do not represent my municipal platform as a candidate for mayor of Highlands East,” Ellis said. “Some were shared because they raised issues we believed were worthy of discussion, including federal policy, animal welfare and religious freedom. However, I recognize that some of the language, images and original sources were inflammatory and could reasonably be interpreted as targeting entire communities.
“Regardless of who originally posted or shared a particular item, it appears on a page associated with me, and I accept responsibility for ensuring that its content reflects the respectful standard expected of a mayoral candidate.”
She said she was reviewing the posts and intended to remove material that could stereotype or hurt residents.
One of the posts, shared Aug. 14 from the group “Gays Against Groomers,” referenced an “Alphabet Mafia” and a “DARK agenda.” Ellis acknowledged the language could be offensive.
“I understand why material using expressions such as ‘Alphabet Mafia’ would be viewed as insulting and anti-LGBTQ2S+,” she said. “I do not believe anyone should be harassed, excluded or made to feel unsafe because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”
An Aug. 15 AI-generated image contrasted elected Muslim officials in Western countries with an image of a mass grave identified as “Christians living in Muslin nations.’ Ellis described the post as “overly broad and confrontational,” and said concerns about religious persecution can be raised without generalizing an entire faith.
An Aug. 13 post about South Asian pigeon racing, known as kabootarbaazi, in Brampton also drew a response from Ellis. She said the motivation behind the post was “an animal-welfare concern,” but acknowledged that “cultural practices should not be presented in a way that stereotypes an entire community.
“I understand why these posts may concern community members,” Ellis said. “We will be more careful to separate legitimate policy or animal-welfare questions from material that generalizes about people because of their religion, ethnicity or place of origin.”
A July 1 post promoted a Canada Day boycott of Tim Hortons over the Temporary Foreign Worker program. Ellis said foreign labour rules are set federally.
“Canadian residents should have meaningful access to employment, training and fair wages,” Ellis said. “At the same time, I recognize that newcomers and temporary foreign workers are individuals trying to support themselves and their families, and they should never be blamed personally for decisions made by governments or employers.”
Ellis said her campaign is focused on municipal responsibilities, including affordability, council spending, transparency, lake protection and service delivery.
“This experience is also a reminder that sharing something can appear to endorse every word and image contained in it,” she said. “My commitment is to listen, learn and represent all residents of Highlands East — including permanent residents, seasonal residents, newcomers, religious minorities and LGBTQ2S+ community members — with fairness and respect.”
