Ottawa's Police TikTok Problem
Ottawa has a new controversy brewing — and it involves city councillors, cop shop communications teams, and the wild world of TikTok.
Ottawa Citizen opinion columnist Brigitte Pellerin is calling out the practice of politicians appearing in Ottawa Police Service TikTok videos, arguing it gives incumbents like Councillor Tim Tierney an unfair edge over challengers who don't have the same access to a publicly funded communications department.
It's a fair point — and one that doesn't get nearly enough attention.
The Problem with Politician Cameos
On the surface, a city councillor showing up in a lighthearted police video might seem harmless. Maybe even charming. But there's a more uncomfortable reality underneath: those videos are produced by Ottawa Police's communications staff — people who are paid with public money — and they reach thousands of followers.
When an incumbent politician appears in that content, they're essentially getting free, professionally supported exposure at taxpayer expense. That's not a small thing in an election year.
Pellerin's argument is simple: if you're an elected official who happens to have a cozy relationship with the local police service, you can boost your profile in ways your competitors simply can't match. Challengers — especially those running against entrenched incumbents — don't get a call from the OPS social media team asking if they'd like to be in the next viral clip.
Why This Matters for Ottawa Democracy
Ottawa's municipal elections may not generate the same headlines as federal or provincial races, but they matter enormously to residents. Ward-level decisions shape everything from traffic calming to zoning to how your neighbourhood park gets maintained.
When incumbents can leverage publicly funded platforms to pad their public profiles, it tilts the playing field in ways that are hard for voters to see — let alone push back against. The fact that it's wrapped in the fun, low-stakes packaging of a TikTok video makes it even more insidious.
Pellerin isn't arguing that police shouldn't be on TikTok. Community-oriented social media can be a genuinely useful tool for public safety messaging and building trust between residents and police. The issue is specifically about politicians using that platform as a personal campaign vehicle.
A Simple Fix
The solution isn't complicated. Ottawa Police — and frankly, any publicly funded agency — should have a clear policy: elected officials don't appear in social media content produced by city departments, especially in an election year. It's a bright line that protects the integrity of both the police service and the democratic process.
If a councillor wants to make TikTok videos, they're welcome to pull out their own phone and film away. What they shouldn't be able to do is borrow the infrastructure, the audience, and the credibility of a publicly funded institution to do it.
Ottawa deserves a level playing field at the ballot box — and that starts with keeping publicly funded comms departments out of partisan optics games, no matter how innocent they look.
Source: Ottawa Citizen Opinion, Brigitte Pellerin. Read the original column at ottawacitizen.com.
