Keith Hobbs, Thunder Bay mayor, cancels social media accounts

Thunder Bay Mayor Keith Hobbs has cancelled his social media accounts, saying he and his family have faced 'horrific' online abuse.

"In the last nine months to a year, it's just been unbearable. The attacks on myself, my family, my fiancée — it got to the point where there was just some horrific stuff being said," Hobbs said.

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Hobbs recently cancelled his Twitter and Facebook accounts, saying the situation escalated during his re-election campaign ahead of the Oct. 27 vote.

He says people have threatened his kids, called his fiancée "horrific names," and "smeared" his reputation on social media.

"I'm quite frankly tired of it."

Police investigated complaints

Hobbs said he approached police with the attacks against him. Police investigated and laid no charges, he said, but did caution someone who writes a blog critical of the mayor.

The mayor said someone also threatened his son, who chose not to report the incident. But Hobbs said he brought the situation to the attention of police and is happy with how it was handled.

Hobbs compared his experience on social media to "adult bullying," saying he visited many schools during his first mayoral term to talk to kids about bullying.

"That's not the problem," he said. "The problem is adults."

He called on Twitter and Facebook to establish better practices to regulate what's said on the social networks.

Hobbs was elected to his second term in late October. He's served as Thunder Bay's mayor since 2010.