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CLASSIFICATION: General Government - Administration
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Administrative Policy # 2025-10 Social Media Policy
Town of Digby
Administrative Policy # 2025-10
Social Media Policy
1. Purpose
The Town of Digby recognizes that social media is a powerful tool for communication,
engagement, and transparency. This policy provides guidelines for the appropriate use of social
media by Council members and staff, ensuring that all online interactions support the Town's
reputation, uphold professional standards, and comply with applicable laws and policies.
2. Scope
This policy applies to:
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All Town of Digby Council members,
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All Citizen Members appointed by Council on Advisory Committees, Boards, Commissions,
and Committees.
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All Town of Digby employees, and
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Any contractors or volunteers who post on behalf of the Town.
It covers both official Town of Digby social media accounts and the personal use of social media
where such use may affect the Town, its operations, or its reputation.
3. Guiding Principles
Transparency: Communicate in an open, honest, and accurate manner.
Respect: Treat all individuals with dignity and respect; avoid offensive, discriminatory, or
harassing language.
Accountability: Ensure that posts are professional and consistent with the values of the Town of
Digby.
Confidentiality: Do not disclose confidential or sensitive information.
4. Official Town Social Media Accounts
Only authorized staff may create or manage official Town of Digby social media accounts.
Content posted on official accounts must:
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Administrative Policy # 2025-10 Social Media Policy
- Provide accurate and timely information,
- Reflect official Town Positions and decisions, and
- Be professional and respectful in tone.
- All official accounts remain the property of the Town of Digby. Access will be managed by the
CAO or a designated staff member.
5.Town's Social Media Accounts and Postings
The creation and administration of social media sites, including but not limited to, Facebook -
Primary platform for sharing updates, engaging with residents, and posting emergency
notifications. Instagram - Visual storytelling and highlighting community events. YouTube -
Video sharing platform that seeks to engage the viewer by using the power of video and audio to
expand on shorter forms of information representing the Town must be authorized in advance
by the Chief Administrative Officer ("CAO").
Operation and administration of the Town's social media accounts and postings are the
responsibility of the CAO, who may delegate such responsibility to an employee of the Town.
Only persons authorized by the CAO shall post on behalf of the Town on any social media
medium. Further, only content approved by the CAO or their delegate shall be posted on behalf
of the Town.
When the Town uses a social media site which allows public comments and posts, the following
content will not be permitted:
- Comments/posts not related to a posted article/topic/information;
- Business solicitation;
- Profane or inappropriate language;
- Content considered to be defamatory, disparaging, disrespectful or insulting to individuals,
including municipal staff or representatives;
- Content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination based on race, creed, color,
age, religion, gender, marital status, status regarding public assistance, national origin,
physical or mental disability, sexual orientation or any other prohibited ground of
discrimination under the Nova Scotia Human Rights Act;
- Sexual content or links to sexual content;
- Conduct or encouragement of illegal activity; and
- Any content deemed inappropriate by the Town.
The Town reserves the right to monitor its social media sites and remove any content.
Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, if the Town finds any content on its social media
site that is considered offensive the CAO will remove the content or contact the appropriate
administrator or network and request the content be removed.
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Administrative Policy # 2025-10 Social Media Policy
User comments and messages posted to official social networking sites are considered transitory
records and will not be kept as a permanent record by the Town.
6. Use of any Social Media
Social Media sites are public, regardless of the privacy settings. As such, any postings (content,
statements, pictures or comments, etc.) by an employee, volunteer or elected official, regardless
of whether posted on Town sites or otherwise, could negatively impact the Town, its reputation,
workplace, other employees, partners/vendors or its customers/clients.
Employees, volunteers and elected officials are required to comply with the following guidelines
when making posts or comments on any social media site, regardless of whether their social
media interactions are during or outside of work hours:
- Conduct and represent themselves professionally;
- Posts, pictures, comments or any content involving the following will not be tolerated:
o Proprietary and confidential municipal information, including internal information
and activities, confidential information of municipal employees, businesses partners,
customers or clients;
- Inappropriate content, including harassing, bulling, intimidating and discriminatory content
or sexual innuendos regarding employees, management, volunteers, Council members or
other elected officials, customers/ clients, corresponding organizations or vendors; and
- Defamatory, derogatory or disparaging statements regarding the Town its employees,
management, volunteers, Council members or other elected officials, customers/clients,
corresponding organizations, or vendors.
No employee, volunteer or Council member shall purport to speak or post on behalf of the Town,
unless they have received the authorization to do so, as outlined in this policy and the
Communication Strategy (as may be amended from time to time).
Unless acting as the official or authorized spokesperson, the comments or postings of staff or
elected officials do not represent the Town; however, all staff, volunteers and elected officials
shall comply with this policy.
The use of social media in the workplace must not have a negative impact on that employee's
productivity or efficiency, or the productivity or efficiency of others in the workplace.
Any communications sent over the Town's networks and computers are the Town's records. At
any time without prior notice, the Town reserves the right to examine and analyze email,
personal file directories, internet access logs, and any other information stored on the Town's
computers.
Such examinations support external and internal investigations, assure compliance with various
policies, and assist in the management of information systems. Employees, volunteers and
elected officials should have no expectation of privacy associated with the information they store
in or send through these systems, whether encrypted or not. Employees, volunteers or elected
officials using the Town's information systems and/or Internet access should realize that their
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Administrative Policy # 2025-10 Social Media Policy
communications are not automatically protected from viewing by third parties. Do not sent
information over the Internet or internally that is considered sensitive or private without
encrypting the message.
The Town will adhere to all applicable legislation regarding privacy and freedom of information,
including but not limited to, the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. In
addition, the Town's records may be subject to subpoena by a court of competent jurisdiction.
As such, employees, volunteers and elected officials should be aware that personal and other
information contained in electronic correspondence (or printed versions thereof) which are
directed to the Town or other information contained on the Town's networks and computers
may be required to be disclosed under legislation or pursuant to a subpoena from a court of
competent jurisdiction. The anonymity or confidentiality of the sender or author of any
information contained within the correspondence or otherwise contained on the Town's
networks and computers cannot be presumed or relied upon.
7. Council Members on Social Media
Council members may use personal accounts to share information with residents but must clearly
distinguish personal views from official Town positions.
Suggested disclaimer: "The views expressed are my own and do not necessarily represent the
views of the Town of Digby."
Council members must not:
- Announce Town policy decisions before they are officially released,
- Share confidential information, or
- Use Town logos or branding for personal accounts without authorization.
- Debate and decision-making must occur at Council meetings, not through social media or E-
mail exchanges.
- Debate or make decisions through social media or E-mail exchanges. Debate and decision-
making must only occur at Council meetings
8. Staff on Social Media
Employees are encouraged to use social media responsibly during personal time.
Employees must not:
- Post confidential or proprietary Town information,
- Represent personal views as those of the Town,
- Engage in online activity that could damage the Town's reputation or working relationships.
Staff may not use Town resources (computers, networks, time) for personal social media use,
except as permitted during breaks.
9. Conduct Expectations
All Council members and staff must:
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Administrative Policy # 2025-10 Social Media Policy
- Follow the Town's Code of Conduct, Respectful Workplace Policy, and other relevant policies,
- Avoid discriminatory, defamatory, or offensive remarks,
- Not engage in arguments or hostile exchanges on social media platforms.
10. Monitoring and Enforcement
- The Town reserves the right to monitor official social media channels.
- Breaches of this policy may result in corrective action, including disciplinary measures, as
outlined in Town policies and procedures.
- Serious breaches (e.g., harassment, disclosure of confidential information) may result in
legal action.
- Any employee who fails to follow this policy may be subject to disciplinary action, up to
and including termination of employment.
- Any volunteer who fails to follow this policy, may face a restriction or removal from
volunteer roles, activities or opportunities.
- Council members who fail to follow this this policy may be subject to corrective action by
Council in accordance with Administrative Policy # 2024-03 Code of Conduct for Elected
Municipal Officials.
- Citizen members who fail to follow this this policy may be subject to corrective action by
Council in accordance with Administrative Policy # 2025-04 Code of Conduct for Citizen
Members Appointed by Council on Advisory Committees, Boards, Commissions, and
Committees.
11. Training and Support
The Town will provide training and guidance to Council members and staff on appropriate use of
social media, including best practices for engagement and risk management.
12. Review
This policy will be reviewed every two years, or as needed, to reflect changes in legislation,
technology, or organizational needs.
13. Repeal:
This policy repeals and replaces Administrative Policy #2017-001 Social Media Policy
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Administrative Policy # 2025-10 Social Media Policy
Clerk's Annotation for Official Policy Book
Date of Notice: October 20, 2025
Date of adoption: November 03, 2025
Policy effective date: November 04, 2025
I certify that this Social Media Policy was adopted by Council as indicated above.
November 04, 2025
Clerk
Date