With the settling of a recent criminal charge of libel, for words written in a social media setting, it dredges up a number of issues for those online.
    Recently libel charges levied against a local woman were stayed. Corporal Mike Black of the Drumheller RCMP explains there is a vast difference between uttering a phrase to another person during a gossip session over coffee and typing something out in an online chat or social media site.
    While this technology has changed the way many converse, it throws the communication from conversation into the realm of publishing.
    “People maybe don’t realize how important, and the care that needs to be taken before they document it on the Internet, because it is publishing it in a public forum,” said Black. “They may think it is safe because they have the anonymity of the Internet.”
    While in this particular case, it doesn’t appear the conversation was meant to be anonymous; there are many who attempt to be anonymous or use pseudonyms to publish. Black explains online anonymity can be a fallacy.
    “Just because you’re on a computer, Smartphone or any other device that you are able to publish things to the internet, there are certain techniques and investigational avenues police can take in order to detect what device sent it, the address of the device and ultimately to the subscriber and the person who can be held accountable for the comments,” said Black.
    A criminal defamation charge like the one in Drumheller is rare, more often cases of defamation are civil.
    According to an article published by the Canadian Bar Association, libel is the type of defamation that has a permanent record. This could be a letter, newspaper, broadcast, e-mail or website posting. This is different than slander, which is when thereis  not a public record, such as a spoken statement.
    It explains there are a few defenses to a defamation lawsuit such as absolute privilege. These are statements made in Parliament or in evidence at a trial or in court documents. Fair and accurate reporting of these statements in the media is also defendable.
    Fair comment in the media is also a defense so long as they are honest comments of opinion based on fact and are not malicious.
    One universal defense that is not based on privilege or fair comment is simply the truth. While a statement may hurt another person’s reputation, if it is true, anyone who says it may have a valid defense.
    “You have the proof and the evidence to back up what you are saying if you are going to take a stand on any type of avenue,” said Black.

    One resident living south of Drumheller is concerned about a little more than just a bump in the road.
    Jim Eskeland lives along what is commonly known as the Taylor Siding Road. This is Highway 841 heading south of Highway 9. It becomes Highway 569 as it heads towards east Dalum. At about the midway point there is a major cave-in on the road, and it is nothing new. Eskeland explains the road caved in during the spring and crews came and patched it up.
    “It sloughed again in late September and it has been near two months,” said Eskeland. “It has about a six foot drop and half the road is gone.”
    He said currently there are two wooden barricades on either end of the damages with no flashing lights.
    “There is no indication coming up to it that it is a single lane,” he said.  “I phoned and asked for the barricades after we were out on a fire call one night. Being that I drive the road regularly, I knew they would have to watch that. If they didn’t know and it was foggy or a blizzard, who is to say they are gong to see it?”
    He explains the road was classified as a Resource Road a few years ago and there is traffic from a couple resource-based installations in the area. It is heavily travelled. Now that cooler weather has set in there are concerns that it won’t be fixed until spring.
    Tony Chelick, operations manager for Alberta Transportation acknowledged the slide about 250 metres north of the junction of Highways 841 and 569. He says the second slide was caused by the wet weather experienced last summer.
    “The depressed area on the third highway surface will be filled prior to the onset of winter to allow for safe travel and will be signed as required,” Chelick said via e-mail last week.
    He goes on to indicate more substantive repairs could come next year.
    “This site will be studied again in the spring of 2013 and a more substantive repair will be programmed,” he said.
For Eskeland, it should have never come to this point.
    “To me they should fix it right, quit patching it and fix it right.  Now they have waited and pushed themselves into winter,” said Eskeland. “How do you patch something that has sloughed, obviously it is unstable under there and when the frost comes out in the spring, then what? To me a secondary highway where half the road has slipped away should be a priority.”