When Caitlin Haacke found herself in the spotlight for her anti-bullying advocacy, she expected some people would question her motives or envy her new-found celebrity.
But she never expected her family to be the victims of an ongoing pattern of harassment from an Airdrie resident.
“I’ve seen my sister get bullied at school because someone told their child that I was a thief for stealing the Positive Post-It idea,” she said.
Haacke, 17, found herself in the unexpected role of anti-bullying advocate after she turned an act of bullying into a positive movement. On Oct. 6, 2014, she posted messages anonymously on 850 sticky notes on school lockers at George McDougall High School. That act inspired Positive Post-It Day on Oct. 9, 2014, an event Haacke said will be held each year on the first Monday in October.
Since then, she has been recognized in the House of Commons by MP Blake Richards, appeared on the Meredith Vieira Show on NBC, was invited to speak at a school in Japan, received an Amazing Airdrie Women award and gave a TEDx Teen Talk in New York City in May.
Soon after she first started gaining local, national and international attention, Haacke said her family was targeted by an individual through posts in forums like Facebook and emails to other anti-bullying advocates.
On June 16, Haacke went to the Municipal Policing Advisory Board (MPAB) meeting to ask board members what they were doing to enforce the anti-bullying provisions of Airdrie’s Public Behaviour Bylaw.
Bullying is defined in the bylaw as “repeated and hostile or demeaning behaviour by an individual in the municipality, either directly or through any medium whatsoever, where the behaviour results in harm, fear or distress to one or more individuals in the municipality including, but not limited to, physical harm, psychological harm or harm to an individual’s reputation.”
“This one person went one step further and contacted my friends and fellow advocates and threatened to have things taken away from them if they continued to support me,” Haacke told the board. “Most recently, this person started asking organizations, advocates and people in the community to not have me in the Canada Day Parade, and if I were, then (the individual’s) child’s blood would be on my family’s hands.”
The name of the person harassing Haacke cannot be released because no charges have been filed, either as a criminal offense or under the City’s bylaw.
Haacke said she had previously called the Kids Help Phone for assistance and recently filed a complaint with Airdrie RCMP.
“I was told by RCMP for the second time that this person cannot be charged under the bylaw because it’s not physical bullying,” she said June 16. “My family has been left to deal with these cyberbullying attacks on our own.”
Inspector Gordon Sage of the Airdrie RCMP said he couldn’t comment on a specific case but did confirm the file is still open and the RCMP is “looking at the bullying bylaw aspect of it.”
The anti-bullying provision of the Public Behaviour Bylaw was enacted in September 2013. To date, no fines or other enforcement actions have been issued in relation to the provision.
“What the courts are still figuring out is what defines ‘a public place,’” Sage said.
One person who has received correspondence from the individual and this person’s supporters is Carol Todd. Todd is a well-known anti-bullying advocate from Port Coquitlam, B.C., who was forced into the role after her 16-year-old daughter, Amanda, committed suicide in 2012 after being bullied online.
“I received a few messages when Caitlin first started to be recognized telling me not to support her,” Todd said. “I’ve also received messages from other advocates telling me they will no longer support me because I’m friends with Caitlin and her family.”
Haacke said she is concerned the bylaw is ineffective, a view not shared by Inspector Sage.
“I wouldn’t say it’s ineffective,” Sage said. “Generally when we deal with these types of situations, the criminal code has similar elements and is very effective as well. We haven’t had a situation where the elements met the bylaw and not the criminal code.”
Alderman Darrell Belyk, vice chair of the MPAB and a member at large on the board of the Airdrie Bullying Awareness Program, said he is concerned cyberbullying is not included in the bylaw.
“There’s something that needs to be changed there and Alderman Hunter (chair of the MPAB) and I will make sure it is changed,” he said.
Mayor Peter Brown said he would be supportive of having council revisit the bylaw.
“If the bylaw we have has no meat, we need to make sure we have some meat so we can deal with these issues, responsibly and effectively,” he said.
Haacke said she is speaking up now because she doesn’t want others to go through what she and her family are currently dealing with.
“I won’t let the bully win by sharing this on my (Facebook) page,” Haacke said.
“My page is about positivity and giving hope and inspiration to others. The only reason I’m telling people now is because I want to help find a solution. I want others to see me standing up and saying I won’t tolerate cyberbullying and I will support all those that come forward and help them find a solution.”
