Manitoba tool kit helps local officials address harassment, hate

A Manitoba municipal advocacy organization has created a tool kit to help local politicians address rising threats and violence facing government staff and elected officials.

The Association of Manitoba Municipalities and the Strong Cities Network, a global network of cities partnered in responding to hate and polarization, released the resource in Toronto during a global cities summit on Dec. 10.

Kathy Valentino, AMM president and Thompson councillor, said the tool kit comes at a “critical time” for Manitoba municipal officials.

“We’ve been hearing a lot of online harassment, online misinformation and disruptions of council meetings. There’s been a lot of keyboard warriors and lots of harassment and stuff in that way,” she told The Carillon.

The tool kit has 130 recommendations to help Manitoba reeves, councillors and other municipal officials address hate and extremism. The recommendations include mentoring new councillors, upping personal privacy on social media and dedicating a law enforcement officer to respond to hate and harassment.

Valentino said work on the resource started in January 2024 and consultations were held with different municipalities during its development. She hopes it will provide a “much needed” support for local officials as they face hate, following two incidents in recent months.

A Ste Genevieve Halloween display of multiple life-sized dolls hanging from nooses, with municipal ward numbers painted on them, garned condemnation from Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew and sparked an RCMP investigation. The property owner later took down the display and no charges were laid.

In November, RM of Alexander officials said an unknown individual or a group shot at a road grader while it was being driven, municipal signs and a water station were vandalized and a bull’s-eye target was spray-painted on a municipal employee’s vehicle.

“Even one incident makes it a big problem because you shouldn’t have to be harassed, whether it be online, with social media or with the graphic event that we saw in (the Rural Municipality of) Taché,” Valentino said. “So I don’t think it matters how often it’s happening, just one time is one too many.”

If threats towards municipal officials continue to escalate, it could discourage people from seeking re-election or even step down, she said. Others may be dissuaded from running in elections.

Valentino has served as Thompson councillor for 12 years and saw her share of online harassment.

“It’s tough, and it makes you think ‘Is it worth doing this,’” she said. “You have to remember and stay focused that you’re doing this because you have a passion for your municipality, and you’re trying to make good decisions for your municipality.”

Valention said officials from Scotland and Sri Lanka expressed interested in using the toolkit in their own countries, following the Toronto presentation.

Ivan Normandeau, La Broquerie reeve and Association of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities president, said he’s been working together with AMM to create a bilingual version of the toolkit for municipalities. He said those resources are a necessary step in having accountability for what people post online and on social media.

“It’s something that we do need. Unfortunately, social media these days is taking it to the next level, and it’s getting worse and worse. It’s for sure not getting any better,” Normandeau said.

He said there isn’t an exact date yet for when the bilingual version will be available.

– With files from the Winnipeg Free Press