The RCMP are involved after the Peachland mayor complained about a threatening on-line post.
“To me it was really alarming that somebody would go that far over a building,” says Cindy Fortin.
That building is the PeachTree Village condo and commercial development.
Peachland council recently approved the project despite considerable community opposition from people who feel the five-story structure is too tall for its location across from the waterfront.
A post on the Facebook page of Friends of Beach Avenue, a group formed in opposition to PeachTree Village, suggested someone should start the mayor’s house on fire.
“I have a pretty high tolerance for a lot of the things that are said but when they become personal, and it seems dangerous and a threat to safety, absolutely they cross the line,” says Fortin who complained to the cops. “There’s no way I’m going to let someone threaten me like that.”
The mayor says RCMP contacted the poster, who lives in the Lower Mainland, and were told the threat was an off-the-cuff remark that wasn’t meant to be taken seriously.
The administrator of the Facebook page has removed the threatening post.
“People have to realize you can’t hide behind your computer and use social media to threaten people anymore than you could face-to-face with somebody,” says Fortin. “I hope a lesson was learned here.”
The mayor was among the majority of council who voted in favour of PeachTree Village.