June 12, 2026 An Open Letter to Hon. Fred TIlley, MLA Northside Westmount Re: Facebook Commentary Dear Mr. TIlley, Last week you made commentary on Facebook in which you justified blocking many of your constituents and indicated that our criticisms are not warranted, or not expressed in the language you feel that you have to accept. As you are aware, I took issue with this and posted publicly, because you do not respond to my calls or to emails either, and I have now become one of the blocked. I am not really a Facebook user, but because so many local politicians, like yourself, use it as their primary source of community communication, I keep an account active. Your block may seem inconsequential, but it is not. Because you do not maintain a website, your X account is inactive, your Facebook page is important to our community. You, or perhaps your staff posting on your behalf, have said so many times and take pride in being a source of information. It is also where you post the legislature clips you are proud of and announce things like office closures and other government information. Recently you presented your defense of the last budget there exclusively. I would argue that these posts should really occur somewhere available to the general public, even those without a Facebook account. But since you make it a Facebook page, none of your constituents should be blocked. I am sure you are also aware, since it was included in the commentary that led to my block, that although the courts have not made it clear, limiting access to your page is likely unconstitutional. I will provide links for your consideration; but I am sure you know that denying access to information and selectively restricting opposing viewpoints is wrong. Your commentary, referring to those of us who are concerned about any issue as “arm chair politicians” and “idiots” is telling. You may have been elected, but you are not infallible. If you do not want to address issues on Facebook, stop bringing them to Facebook. Otherwise, it is our right to question you and if you believe in what you are doing, you should make yourself available to us for answers. Better yet, back your stuff up, show your work, bring us along. This is particularly important given that the government you are part of seems to excuse itself from meaningful debate and other avenues of accountability. I know you won’t win everyone over, but do you not think that your policies are worth a defense, rather than a block? Mr. Tilley, you seem to have put yourself a bit above the community from which you come. Although Northside-Westmount is diverse, many in our community are struggling. We have had generation after generation of poverty and many have been denied the opportunity for education and training. In Sydney Mines, we are among the poorest in the province. As such, some of us lack finesse and pepper our conversations with colorful language. It may sound harsh, but most people are coming from a good place. As for extreme behavior and threats, of course you have to take that seriously. But like any nurse or paramedic will tell you, the people who are screaming the loudest are often those in the most pain. Perhaps rather than put up more walls, you could find more about what hurts. People do not expect you to have all the solutions, but most would appreciate being heard. In closing, I recognize that you and your staff have done a lot for this community. We have an outsized need and I am sure that it gets trying. But please remember, you are the one who has chosen to represent this community and we deserve representation. Yours is not to merely vote yes and impose the premier’s agenda on the community. It is to hear us, recognize us, even those who challenge your ideas and hurt your feelings. It is hard here for a lot of us, please stand with us rather than against us. Sincerely, Shara Vickers Constituent Northside-Westmount Further Reading / Viewing https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/steven-guilbeault-must-unblock-ezra-levant-1.6964294 https://youtu.be/YmZmtNJ1cCU?si=liVuEKw6bJUTobpz