B.C. councillor blames 'leftist extremists' after blackface photo surfaces online

Ian Ward acknowledged he posed for the photo in 2007, before he was a councillor in Colwood, B.C.

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A city councillor in British Columbia says an online mob of "extremists" and "politically motivated hackers" is responsible for uncovering and publicizing a photo of him wearing a blackface costume to a Halloween party in 2007.

Colwood Coun. Ian Ward on Monday addressed the photo in a statement on his X account after the picture, which was originally published on a personal family blog, surfaced on social media in recent days.

Ward acknowledged he posed for the photo wearing a Washington Bullets basketball jersey, a gold chain and a wig, with his teeth coloured gold and his hands and face painted black.

"It is embarrassing, and I offer no defence other than to say times change, and people change," Ward wrote in the statement accusing "anonymous antisemitic, anti-law enforcement, leftist extremists" of exposing the nearly 17-year-old picture.

'I'm not a racist'

During an interview Tuesday, Ward said the photo was taken before a private Halloween event and he had all but forgotten about it before last week.

"Obviously, in today's lens, you look at it and you realize it's inappropriate," he told CTV News, adding the costume was meant to portray Grammy award-winning rapper 50 Cent.

"I'm not a racist. I didn't dress up to say, 'Hey look at me, I can mock somebody's culture or appearance.'"

The councillor said he has drawn the ire of political activists online due to his conservative politics and outspoken support of Israel ever since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks last year.

Ian Ward in a 2007 photo before he was elected as a councillor for the City of Colwood.

Ward said the family blog was maintained by his ex-wife and he believed it to be private. However, he said the blog was "taken over and turned public, and she was locked out by the hacker."

The blog, which is still public online, has since been edited to remove the Nov. 2, 2007 page containing the photo and the accompanying description that says the author spent "45 minutes that morning turning Ian into a Black man with stage paint."

The offending page was public in November 2023 and still public last month, according to the nonprofit Internet Archive, which periodically preserves websites as they appeared on a given date.

Ward was elected to Colwood council in 2022. A city spokesperson indicated the municipal government would not take any punitive measures in regards to the photo as it was "made in Coun. Ward's personal capacity and not his municipal capacity."

"The City of Colwood does not endorse city representatives making public statements or actions that may be viewed by some as divisive or offensive," spokesperson Sandra Russell said in an emailed statement.

"Our code of ethics guides us to be respectful in all interactions, and to protect personal dignity, self esteem, and the wellbeing of others."

Ward says he has reported the alleged hack to local police. The West Shore RCMP, which is responsible for policing in the Colwood area, did not respond to a request to confirm whether an investigation was underway regarding the complaint.