Edmonton city councillor Michael Janz is no stranger to social media, but some of his recent posts have Edmonton’s Jewish community concerned he is spreading misinformation that could be harmful.
The Jewish Federation of Edmonton saved several screenshots of content shared to the city councillor’s Instagram stories last week, primarily focused on the conflict in Gaza and its impact on children.
“If you have a newborn baby right now, anywhere in the world, your brand new baby is statistically more likely to be killed by Israel than dying by any other way,” said one of the posts Janz re-shared from a pro-Palestine account.
“At the end of the day, councillors are free to speak to any issue they want. They are ultimately held accountable for their own actions,” Mayor Andrew Knack said.
He added Janz took that post down a short time later. The Jewish Federation said the damage was already done.
“What he’s doing is demonizing Israel, demonizing the Jewish community there and, by extension, the Jewish community here — who is so connected to that — is feeling demonized as well,” said Jewish Federation of Edmonton CEO Stacey Leavitt-Wright.
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“It’s creating a security risk — a very real one for our community right now.”
Fellow city councillor Mike Elliott said he was stunned by the posts — he is of the opinion civic politics is no place for international issues.
“I know we have freedom of speech and we can say whatever we want, but let’s focus on what we need to focus on — that’s Edmontonians and our city,” Elliott said.
Global News reached out to Janz on Tuesday for an on-camera interview, which he declined and instead released a statement.
“Like many Edmontonians, I’ve been horrified by the genocide in Palestine and the numerous well-documented war crimes committed by the state of Israel,” it said in part.
“Our compassion must not have boundaries or borders.”
Janz added he will continue to share data from organizations like the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which last week released a report on the physical and psychological harm by the Israeli security forces.
“Every person should read these horrific findings. I will continue to share these reports on my social media,” he said.
Mayor Knack picked his words carefully on Tuesday when asked if Janz was out of line with his Instagram stories.
“Well, I would say anyone that’s not sharing accurate information, that’s not what we want to see,” Knack said. “There might not be a code of conduct anymore, but we still have to hold ourselves to a high standard.”
Elliott echoed that sentiment, releasing his own statement on Monday. He said city council’s job is to focus on local issues like roads, transit, housing and budget — which he said is a full mandate on its own.
He stated international conflicts are real and painful, but they fall outside council’s jurisdiction and expertise.
“Elected officials weighing in publicly on them doesn’t change anything overseas — it only risks dividing the very communities we’re here to represent,” Elliott wrote.
“The words we choose carry weight beyond our own opinions — they can either bring residents together or deepen divisions in the community we serve.
“That responsibility doesn’t disappear because the topic is outside our jurisdiction; if anything, it’s a reason for added care.”
Leavitt-Wright agreed.
“I think this is a moment that calls for leadership — to say that here in Edmonton, city council needs to focus on the work of city council and keep out of the international conflict and not bring that divisiveness to our city.”
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