Leaked chat logs show OneCity volunteer brainstorming ways to discredit political rivals

A Vancouver political party has parted ways with a volunteer after chat logs emerged showing him brainstorming ways to spread rumours and innuendo about people he views as political opponents.

Someone recently sent a copy of the logs, showing messages between a group of people that include OneCity Vancouver volunteers, to Rohana Rezel, a housing policy advocate who unsuccessfully ran for city council in 2018.

In screenshots posted to Rezel’s blog, someone in the chat with the name Tim refers to Rezel and suggests defaming him.

"Maybe we give him a taste of his own medicine and openly wonder why he's associating on Twitter with possible pedophiles?" Tim writes in the chat.

Another member of the group then suggests he’s uncomfortable with that scenario.

“I’m not even running for office, I’m just an ordinary citizen,” Rezel told CTV News. “I’m a vocal housing advocate and housing researcher, and being targeted this way…I did not see this coming.”

OneCity Vancouver chose not to make anyone available for an interview Tuesday, but did provide a statement.

"OneCity was founded on a commitment to do politics differently. The statements in question are clearly inconsistent with our founding values. We are glad to see that the individual understands that his language was inappropriate and has apologized and committed to do better,” the party said.

OneCity Vancouver also said the volunteer who made the comments is no longer associated with the campaign and directed CTV News to a Twitter account belonging to someone with the username @Tim_Ell.

“The screenshots of the group chat were taken wildly out of context, and their meaning has been misrepresented,” the user said in a tweet posted Tuesday morning. “I have never, and would never, accuse someone of anything without evidence.”

In the tweet, he goes on to specifically apologize for implying that another individual used their Chinese name in bad faith – but does not specifically address the comments about Rezel or make an apology to him.

Replies to the tweet have been turned off.

Rezel says the individual has not reached out to him directly and nobody else from OneCity Vancouver has either.

In fact, since he publicly shared screenshots of the chat, OneCity has blocked him on Twitter.

He says the whole experience has contributed to his disappointment with what he calls a dirty tricks campaign devoid of serious policy discussions by a majority of candidates and parties.

"Voters should go to vote based on what the parties promise and their ability to deliver on those promises,” Rezel said. “But it's now a mudslinging free-for-all and everyone is trying to take the other person down."