Arlene Dickinson speaks to reporters in Montebello, Que., alongside Wes Hall and Tabatha Bull on Jan. 21, 2025. Ms. Dickinson announced Thursday that she and Amber Macarthur are cutting ties with Ottawa startup Gander Social Inc.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Canadian media personalities Arlene Dickinson and Amber MacArthur were drawn last year to back an Ottawa startup called Gander Social Inc. that had a unique mission: To create a social network by and for Canadians.
At a time when social media platforms were being accused of aiding the spread of misinformation and hate, and selling user data without consent, Gander chief executive Ben Waldman promised something different. Built on the same open-source protocol as Bluesky, Gander, which is registered as a public benefit company in British Columbia, would ensure its moderation rules adhered to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, give users control over their experience, and keep their data in Canada.
Last June, Ms. Dickinson, a venture capitalist who stars on Dragons’ Den, told The Globe and Mail she was “both an investor and adviser,” drawn to a “timely, smart opportunity” that “has the value of Canadians.” Ms. MacArthur, host of The AmberMac Show on SiriusXM, wanted to support a company committed to online safety that was “better for Canadians.” She told The Globe she was “in the middle of getting the information and signing the documents” to invest. “Some of the details are still getting figured out.”
They never were. On Thursday, the pair announced on social media they were cutting all ties to Gander. Not only did they never sign advisory agreements, they also never invested, despite what Ms. Dickinson had said. In one post Thursday, Ms. Dickinson said she had been “in late stage discussions about an advisory role and a potential investment, which is why I spoke about it publicly. It became clear that my involvement was being treated as an endorsement more than a substantive advisory role.”
Ms. MacArthur interviewed Mr. Waldman on her show in January, telling listeners she’d been an adviser for months. On Thursday, she posted on Facebook: “We’ve had some disagreements on how things are being managed,” adding in a LinkedIn post: “I am pretty devastated that I’ve been left with no option but to leave” the advisory role. “I won’t back something that isn’t capable of meeting this need with total integrity and excellence.” Both wished Gander well.
Their departures come as Gander, which is starting to let the roughly 40,000 people who signed up for early access onto the platform, concludes a financing through crowdfunding website FrontFundr. The campaign has raised more than $1.97-million from 2,500-plus Canadians, some putting up just $255. One Threads user posted that Ms. Dickinson and Ms. MacArthur “owe us an explanation. I know many people who invested their money because your names were associated.”
In an e-mail to investors Thursday, Gander co-founder Stirling Coulter-Hayward said the company was “incredibly grateful for the support and advice both Arlene Dickinson and Amber Mac shared with us early in Gander’s journey. Unfortunately we were unable to come to a long-term partnership agreement” and the parties “have amicably parted ways.” Gander has since added Canadian Broadcasting Corp. ex-chief executive Catherine Tait as an adviser.
Ms. Dickinson, Ms. MacArthur and Mr. Waldman told The Globe that after agreeing to invest in an earlier financing – called a “simple agreement for future equity,” or SAFE – and join as advisers, delays ensued in formalizing both arrangements due to back-and-forth changes to the advisory deal’s terms and language. “It was dragging out,” Ms. Dickinson said. “It was more busy-ness on both sides. I was late, he was late” but both intended to conclude the deal.
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After setting out last May to raise $400,000 through the SAFE – which gave investors the right to receive discounted equity when Gander next raised money – the company ultimately raised $145,000. That financing, valuing Gander at up to $4-million, closed without any contribution from the two celebrities. Mr. Waldman said he kept the round open for them “almost right up to the equity crowdfunding because we really wanted to have Amber and Arlene on board.”
Gander launched its FrontFundr campaign in September and quickly raised $1.5-million. Then, early this year, Mr. Waldman sent Ms. Dickinson and Ms. MacArthur a revised advisory agreement and invited them to invest in the crowdfunding round, which valued Gander at $10-million for those who put in the first $500,000 and $15-million for subsequent backers. They balked and wanted to invest at the original SAFE valuation, he said.
Ms. Dickinson said she told Mr. Waldman “‘I’d like to put my cash in and make this happen.’ He said, ‘Well, it has to be at this new term.’ And then we just said, ‘That’s not on.’”
Mr. Waldman said “unfortunately we can’t retroactively provide the same terms” as the SAFE. “That wouldn’t be fair” to other crowdfunding investors. “We tried to do everything we could up until a couple of days ago and just realized there was nothing we can do.”
Ben Waldman, a co-founder of Gander and its chief executive, in Ottawa on June 20, 2025.Ashley Fraser/The Globe and Mail
Ms. MacArthur and Ms. Dickinson had another concern. As advisers, they expected to view a prototype of the platform as it was being developed and to be involved in shaping how it would function and what protocols would govern it. “We kept asking for that,” Ms. Dickinson said, but to no avail.
Ms. MacArthur added: “Over the past few weeks it’s been pretty clear I wasn’t necessarily advising on anything because there was no product to look at. From my perspective, they have not been actively in touch with advisers along the way. That begs the question why you need advisers if you’re not getting them to advise.”
Without seeing the product, “it’s really hard to tell people they should continue to support and invest in this,” Ms. MacArthur said.
Mr. Waldman said “no strategic advisers were involved with product decisions, beta testing, or moderation” and that Gander had worked with outside trust and safety professionals to develop moderation policies.
“That seems to be a new direction,” said Ms. MacArthur, “one where advisers aren’t involved, aren’t shown the product, and aren’t required to advise.”
Ms. Dickinson said, “Sometimes deals and arrangements in business don’t work out the way you envision. I’m still hopeful a Canadian platform will be built.”