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A Smiths Falls council candidate says a controversial Facebook post made months ago came from anger after she and several co-workers lost their jobs.
Peggy Tye-Bernicke is seeking a seat on Smiths Falls council in this year’s municipal election.
Lanarkleedstoday.ca asked Tye-Bernicke about a post attributed to her that called for a boycott of certain local businesses and expressed support for “white ran businesses.”
Tye-Bernicke said she was upset after five workers were given two weeks’ notice and some struggled to find new employment.
She denied being racist and apologized to anyone who interpreted the post that way.
She said she had not realized it remained online and would remove it.
Following the interview, Tye-Bernicke sent a formal written apology which included, in part, “I want to be clear that my frustration was rooted in a difficult personal and employment experience. However, my circumstances do not excuse the language I used or the impact my post may have had on others. I understand that people who saw the post did not have the full context of what I was experiencing at the time, and I regret that my words may have caused people to believe that I was expressing hostility or prejudice toward East Indian people or any other group.”
Tye-Bernickie added that she, “(respects) people of all backgrounds, cultures, and communities, and I believe everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and fairness.”
She’s asking the community to not, “judge me not by one moment when I responded poorly to a difficult situation, but also by my willingness to take responsibility, learn from my mistakes, and move forward with greater respect, professionalism, and accountability.”
She says she wants to move forward with her campaign and be a voice for Smiths Falls residents, where she says she’ll focus on enhancing community safety and well-being, affordable housing, accessibility and infrastructure.
She has called for more police training around domestic violence and mental-health calls, while also supporting expanded shelter and emergency-bed options.
Listen to the full interview below.
Story by Grant Deme
The Facebook post made by Smiths Falls candidate Peggy Tye-Bernicky (screenshot)
