British ColumbiaPemberton SAR president David MacKenzie says not having access poses a risk to public safety if false or misleading information is posted on their account by the unauthorized individual. Pemberton SAR has 40 volunteers that help rescue people throughout Pemberton and LillooetAlanna Kelly · CBC News · Posted: Nov 07, 2025 9:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 6 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Pemberton Search and Rescue manager David MacKenzie wants access back to the group’s Facebook page and says it’s vital for them to communicate with the community. He is seen here on Nov. 4, 2025. (Alanna Kelly/CBC)Pemberton Search and Rescue is urgently trying to get access back to their Facebook page after they claim it was hijacked last year.Pemberton SAR president David MacKenzie says not having access poses a risk to public safety if false or misleading information is posted on their account by the unauthorized individual. “We have absolutely no control over any of the postings or activity,” MacKenzie said, adding he doesn’t know the identity of the individual in question.The volunteer-based Pemberton SAR organization has 40 members and helps rescue people throughout Pemberton and Lillooet in B.C.’s Sea-to-Sky region.There are 40 active members at Pemberton Search and Rescue, and the volunteer-based organization also operates a base out of Lillooet. (Alanna Kelly/CBC)Now, they need help getting their Facebook page back, with MacKenzie saying they’re getting no response or support from Facebook’s parent company Meta. “Our social media is very important to us because it is our primary source of how we communicate with the community.”MacKenzie contacted Meta for help, but there’s been no progress since they reached out a month ago.“We’ve made an appeal. They said they would look into it. They were going to take a sense of urgency,” MacKenzie said. “It’s been a month now and we’ve heard nothing.”The search-and-rescue manager reached out to Meta for help a month ago. (Alanna Kelly/CBC)CBC News reached out to Meta via email for a response and to see if an investigation was underway, but did not receive a response by publication time. “We’ve asked them to identify that we are the legitimate owner of the platform and allow us access,” MacKenzie said. A CBC News reporter reached out to the page via Facebook Messenger.An individual responded and said “the Facebook is still fully under the control of the owner.” MacKenzie is asking the person to do the right thing and give the group their Facebook page back.Security suggestions from expertWhen it comes to making sure an organization’s Facebook page stays secure, a University of B.C. security and privacy expert suggests multiple people having control, not just one person. Robert Xiao, an associate professor at UBC’s computer science school, says people at the highest levels of organization should have access to the account or pages — and also use password managers. WATCH | How to protect yourself from cybersecurity threats:Want to protect yourself from today’s cybersecurity and AI threats? Here are a few tipsThe Montreal Connect conference was filled with people on the front lines of today’s digital landscape, including self-described ethical hackers.“It’s the same as losing your keys for your business front door — you definitely have multiple copies of that key available and you make sure the right people have it,” Xiao said.”Treat passwords in a very similar way.”Customer service for companies such as Meta can also be challenging, he explains.“It’s just very, very difficult, I think, to have customer service at that scale,” Xiao said. “They’re not really putting the resources into it.”Xiao says it’s very difficult for companies at the scale of Facebook to put much resources into customer service. (David Donnelly/CBC)B.C. groups use Facebook to communicateThere are 78 search-and-rescue groups in British Columbia, with roughly 3,200 volunteers, and many of them use Facebook to connect with their communities. Sandra Riches is the executive director of B.C. Adventure Smart, a program created by the British Columbia Search and Rescue Association, and said Facebook allows groups to share fundraising information and search-and-rescue tasks. “It’s a great way to connect with the community,” Riches said. “It’s really important to keep that connection going and answer any questions that the public might have.”The mountains are starting to get snowy in Pemberton in early November, as search-and-rescue members get ready for the upcoming winter rescue season. (Alanna Kelly/CBC)Pemberton Mayor Mike Richman says the local search-and-rescue group has been doing exceptional work in the valley for many years. “They’re very highly regarded in the search-and-rescue community throughout B.C.,” Richman said.He explains how the area of Pemberton has stunning geography — but it presents many types of risks.“That means a lot of really diverse training, and our search and rescue for many years has done a great job,” Richman said. As winter weather ramps up, so too does the number of calls to Pemberton SAR. “There are still lots of people in the backcountry hiking, lots of mountain biking — but as the snow has been falling, we’re going to switch to some mountain activities here pretty quickly,” MacKenzie said. He’s hopeful they can get access back to their Facebook page, and says he doesn’t plan on creating a new account.ABOUT THE AUTHORAlanna Kelly is a CBC News journalist based in Squamish, B.C., covering the Sea-to-Sky region, including Whistler, Pemberton and the Sunshine Coast. You can email story ideas to alanna.kelly@cbc.ca.
Pemberton Search and Rescue says Facebook page hijacked by unauthorized individual
