NDP campaign to save ERs hits snag after someone hijacks site

A campaign to save Winnipeg ERs spearheaded by Manitoba New Democratshas left the party name off signs and social media pages.

But it hit asnare Saturday after someone took over a campaign website, which now linksto a story about a government scandal the NDP had while in power.

For weeks, party members have been spearheading efforts against the Pallister government's sweeping changes that will shut down three of Winnipeg's six ERs.

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Party members and former NDP staffers have held rallies and made at least two Facebook pages to save emergency rooms, but have left out mentioning anyaffiliations to the NDP.

On Saturday, Elmwood MLA Jim Maloway and four party members rallied outside the Victoria General Hospital holding bright yellow signs directing drivers to keepvictoriaeropen.com.

But thewebsite wasn't about ER closures it relinks to a 2016 CBC article relating to the NDP Tiger Damscandal.

"It seems a little bit amateurish to be advertising a website that you actually haven't bought the domain name for," said Royce Koop, a political studies professor at the University of Manitoba.

Maloway said he had no idea about the website. Instead, the NDP MLA said he's onlyinvolved in a campaign to save theConcordiaER and simply stopped by to support the rally.

The ER at Concordiais closing completely while the Victoria emergency room is beingconverted to an urgent care centre that will only handle patients withnon-life-threatening illnesses and injuries.

Arthur Schafer, an ethics professor at the University of Manitoba, said whoever took over the site madea "shady" and "ethically dubious" move.

"It's the sort of politics of Richard Nixon," he said.

Maloway said he's disappointed about recent headlines that have highlightedsmall turnouts at NDP rallies. "You have to understand that this is a long campaign," he said.

"When you're out there for an hour, an hour and a half, there's a lot of prep work."

Maloway said signs he has made for protesters who want to save the Concordia emergency room in his riding won't have any NDP affiliation listed.

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Instead, the signs will have neutral colours so members of all political parties can weigh in.

"That's the beauty of having colours that don't alienate people," he said.

"Everyone's seen my signs and they're very attractive, so it makes sense to duplicate them."

Maloway and a party spokesperson said more rallies are planned in the coming weeks.

The MLA was back protestingin front of a Kildonan seniors' complex Sunday afternoon.