Memorial University of N.L. board member suspended after profane, anti-police tweet
![Memorial University Signage for Memorial University in St. John’s is shown on Monday, January 30, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Daly](/content/dam/ctvnews/en/images/2023/3/13/memorial-university-1-6310915-1678723451942.jpg)
The board of regents at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador suspended one of its members Friday for tweeting "f--- the police."
Kerri Claire Neil's social media post was in response to a tweet from the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary that included a "thin blue line" symbol. The symbol is considered by some a sign of police solidarity, but in recent years it has been adopted by far-right groups and criticized as an emblem of white supremacy.
"While the board understands the post was made in reaction to the RNC's use of the 'thin blue line' in their social media post, your comment was felt by many to be flippant and insensitive to the deaths of two members of the Edmonton Police Department and their families," the board said in a letter to Neil, which was shared with The Canadian Press.
Neil posted her tweet on March 17 with a screenshot of a Royal Newfoundland Constabulary tweet that showed a horizontal blue bar across a black and grey image of the Edmonton Police Service crest. The constabulary's tweet included a message of condolence for the deaths of Edmonton constables Travis Jordan and Brett Ryan, who were fatally shot the day before while responding to a domestic violence call.
The board said in a media release that Neil had violated its code of conduct, and that she will be suspended until her term ends on Aug. 31. Its letter to Neil said it had received complaints about her tweet from the university community as well as people in Alberta. Her comments online "reflected poorly on the university," the letter said.
Neil is part of the Social Justice Co-operative, a local non-profit that advocates for social and environmental issues. She was elected to Memorial's board of regents in 2020.
Neil's removal from Memorial's board of regents comes after Vianne Timmons, the university's president, went on paid leave for six weeks following a CBC News investigation earlier this month that raised questions about her claims of Mi'kmaq heritage. The board of regents has said it will decide what to do about the situation with the guidance of an Indigenous-led roundtable.
Memorial is also the subject of a lawsuit filed with the provincial Supreme Court alleging the school was wrong to ban a student -- Matt Barter -- from campus for three months after he stood near Timmons and held up a sign saying "STOP VlANNE! No to tuition hikes and out of control spending," as she spoke at a public event.
The case has been argued in court and is awaiting a ruling.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 31, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6977053.1721909931!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
'Sick to my stomach': People grieve Jasper National Park by sharing favourite photos
As an out-of-control wildfire roared through Alberta’s famed Jasper National Park and its townsite late Wednesday, many are fearing the worst as officials warned of 'significant loss' within the area.
Jasper wildfire burns buildings, while poor air quality forces some fire crews out
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on social media that Ottawa has approved Alberta's request for federal assistance after a fast-moving wildfire hit Jasper National Park and its townsite late Wednesday.
Canadian women's soccer team staffer given suspended prison sentence over drone incident, prosecutor says
A Canada women's soccer team staffer has been given an eight-month suspended prison sentence after flying a drone to film the closed-door training session of the New Zealand team on Monday, the prosecutor's office said in a statement.
Sale of envoy's NYC condo 'expected to exceed' $9M: government
The current official residence for Canada's representative in New York City is 'being readied for sale,' according to a spokesperson from Global Affairs Canada.
'I'm so broke': Two Toronto women speak out after losing $76,000 in romance scam
Two women from the Toronto area are speaking out after losing thousands of dollars to a romance scam, including a single mother who lost $62,000.
Barrie-Innisfil MPP 'blacked-out' and crashed car into window of child care centre
Staff at a Barrie child care centre say they are frustrated by what they call a local MPP's inadequate response after a car crashed through a window in one of the toddler rooms.
Loblaw to settle class action over bread price-fixing for $500 million
Loblaw Cos. Ltd. and its parent company George Weston Ltd. say they have agreed to pay $500 million to settle a pair of class-action lawsuits regarding their involvement in an alleged bread price-fixing scheme.
EXCLUSIVE One address, 76 foreign currency dealers: Inside Canada's money service business 'clusters'
An IJF and CTV News investigation has found dozens of cases across Canada where multiple money services businesses (MSBs) are incorporated at the same address, sometimes without the knowledge or consent of the location's actual occupant. One money laundering expert calls it an 'abuse of the system.'
An unwelcome attendee has joined the Paris Olympic Games: COVID-19
After a handful of Australian water polo players tested positive for COVID-19 this week, questions have emerged around how the spread of the disease will be mitigated at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris.