EDMONTON — The Edmonton Police Service has updated its online examples of "hate-motivated incidents" following a week of backlash over its social media post encouraging individuals to report "hate" comments. EPS began facing backlash on July 31 after the agency made a post on social media that read, "You typed it. Someone lived it. Online hate isn't 'just a comment.' It hurts real people and harms real communities. Hate has no home here..."Individuals quickly acknowledged that the accompanying video used examples of "hate comments" that could be considered "mean" but not "hateful," such as, "Send them back home." The post drew attention to EPS's definition and examples of a "hate incident," including verbal insults, such as name-calling or offensive jokes, and slurs.As of Friday, the EPS has removed "verbal insults (name-calling, offensive jokes)" from their examples on the main website, but it remains on the reporting tool. .The EPS post and subsequent fallout have drawn reactions from the public and elected officials across Alberta, especially regarding the agency's priorities. "We are committed to supporting and respecting everyone's right to free speech," wrote Alberta's Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister, Mike Ellis, in an X post on Tuesday. "We have a duty to uphold these rights and freedoms, regardless of an individual's religious or political beliefs.""Alberta's government does not condone hate speech or violence, but we believe law enforcement should be focused on stopping violent crime, not policing opinions or ‘hurt feelings.'".Some have also taken the situation as a warning sign about the continued reduction of free speech rights in Canada, especially given the recently passed federal Bill C-9, the Combating Hate Act. Premier Danielle Smith addressed some of those fears on Tuesday and said that her government is committed to protecting free speech. "Free Speech is a foundational Alberta value," wrote Smith in an X post on Tuesday. "We don’t believe in policing unpopular or religious-based statements even if they are controversial. That’s a slippery slope other countries have fallen into and we can’t go down that road."The EPS elected not to comment on the situation when the Western Standard contacted them on Wednesday.
