Regional councillor files motion to stop municipality from using X

CITYnews halifax / By Rachel Morgan

A regional councillor has filed a motion asking staff to consider the feasibility of removing X as a social media platform used by Halifax Regional Municipality. Currently the platform is used to distribute information to residents.

Councillor Laura White, who represents District 7, said she filed the motion in growing concern about the platform’s governance going against municipal values of “evidence-based decision making and diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility”.

“In the past two-plus years since Elon Musk acquired Twitter (now X) the platform has become less congenial, informative and useful, and more toxic,” Councillor White wrote in her reasoning. “X is no longer a medium that many reputable organizations are comfortable associating with.”

The motion will be brought to a vote on Feb. 11. If it passes, it asks regional staff to come back to council with a report that determines the feasibility of abandoning X. The report would provide a timeline for discontinuing use and provide alternative options to distribute information to residents.