Kamloops Councillor in hot water again over Facebook post

Mar 16, 2017 | 12:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — A Kamloops man is formally requesting censure against a city councillor for his actions and attitudes toward the KGHM-Ajax proposal.

Dennis Giesbrecht says a photo Donovan Cavers posted on social media this morning was the last straw.

In the photo, Cavers is shown with his middle finger extended toward a bookshelf filled with KGHM binders, presumably containing information about the mine project.

Giesbrecht says Cavers has a duty to be open-minded.

“They’re expected to go into any sort of debate with the ability to choose on each side of the question. He has clearly shown over the past term or two that is not the case,” said Giesbrecht. 

Giesbrecht says Cavers’ actions have exposed the city to legal liability in the past, and in the instance of the social media post today.

“From a legal standpoint what he is opening the city up to is very dangerous.”

Giesbrecht adds he hand-delivered a letter to city hall this morning, requesting that Cavers be censured.

“How it has got to this point, with his behavior with the Ajax topic, and how no one has come forward to call him on it, I think is beyond ridiculous.” 

Cavers, meantime, says he posted the photo last night, and took it down this morning when he saw it was generating a negative reaction.

“My passion obviously got the better of me, when I posted that photo. But, how many people haven not expressed themselves in that way? Have you ever raised your middle finger to express yourself? I pose that question to people,” posed Cavers

He apologized to those who were offended, but added the community knows where he stands, and he prides himself on being open and transparent.

“That’s why there are eight of us at the council table, not just a single person making all sorts of decisions on the city’s behalf. We are elected for our perspectives, opinions, we are elected to make decisions. I wear my heart on my sleeve, and I am very transparent, sometimes obviously too much so.”  

Cavers feels the response to Ajax was proportionate with communication he feels has been disingenuous and deceptive about the project.

“When they put out things like zero harm, and propaganda like that it is essentially, through actions, through the way they’ve communicated to the community and the slanted perspective they have given about their project to everyone in this valley, they are essentially flipping the bird.”

Regarding Giesbrecht’s complaint, Cavers says he is “misinformed” about a councillor’s duty to be open-minded.

“He is misinformed to think that councillors aren’t elected to represent particular points of view.”

“Obviously it’s no secret that I am very passionate about Ajax, and when I was re-elected for my second term that was pretty clear as well. I don’t intend on changing that.”