VINELAND, ON
Facebook’s hardline stance against Canada’s controversial Bill C-18 has led to the blocking of Canadian news from a variety of sources including, but not limited to, Mrs. Ruth Kehler of Vineland, Ontario.
“Did you see Tina Fehr’s neckline on Sunday? Well I never,” said Kehler. “And did you hear about Mrs. Plett’s daughter Wendy? Seems she’s living with that Peters boy from Niagara-on-the-Lake. Oba nay!”
After not getting a single “thumbs up” or “shocked” reaction, Kehler began to wonder if her gossip was really reaching her audience.
“I assumed by the Wednesday morning Bible Study everyone would have heard the news,” said Kehler. “But none of them knew about it. They hadn’t even heard about the Kroeker’s marital discord, although, to be honest, we all saw that one coming …”
The block has also affected the Wiebe brothers, retired dairy farmers from Kleefeld, Manitoba.
“I guess we’ll just have to confine our gossip to the coffee shop or church lobby,” said Abe Wiebe. “I think it’ll spread faster that way anyway.”
Abe plans to share a “prayer request” this Sunday about a concern he has for a fellow dairy farmer who’s “just not right with the Lord.”
“Of course, I respect his privacy, so I won’t tell you his name,” said Wiebe. “All I’ll say is that he’s a 32-year-old Kornelsen and lives over in New Bothwell and works at the cheese factory.”
Kehler and Wiebe, however, are far from the only victims of this new policy. According to Facebook, even Mrs. Reimer of Blumenort has been blocked, which has Mennonites across the country concerned about their access to information as Mrs. Reimer has consistently been Canada’s most reliable source of news for decades.