online threats and a hangman's noose: how do b.c.'s local governments deal with toxicity?
dan fumano: stringing up a hangman's noose outside of town hall — as one angry resident recently did in osoyoos — is not how to engage in local democracy.
5 minute read
most of the current job vacancies in osoyoos government were a direct result of the efforts of a few vocal members of the community, say observers.
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every year at b.c.’s annual local government convention, when hundreds of municipal politicians and bureaucrats chat over a beer at the end of a long day of panel discussions and workshops, one subject that frequently comes up is the increasing toxicity they face in their jobs.
almost everyone, especially those who have been around for a long time, agrees that intensely personal, harassing and sometimes outright threatening behaviour from the public toward local government officials is a problem that’s getting worse.
it’s concerning at the individual level, because everyone deserves a safe workplace. but more broadly, it’s also a problem for society if this is pushing capable people to leave public service, or discouraging them from ever entering it.
the subject is on the agenda at the annual union of b.c. municipalities convention next month, with resolutions seeking to tackle harassment, intimidation and threats directed from the public toward elected officials and local government staff.
it’s important to raise the issue, politicians and experts say. unfortunately, there’s no obvious solution.
no one should become a politician — or columnist, for that matter) — if they can’t handle people disagreeing with their ideas or publicly criticizing them. all governments must be open to criticism, and citizens should be encouraged to engage in the process, even when they disagree with what those in power are doing — especially when they disagree.
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but what constitutes legitimate criticism and debate? and what veers into harassment?
certain situations are pretty obviously problematic. last year, an osoyoos resident upset about a major tax hike expressed his displeasure by stringing up a hangman’s noose outside the town hall and making comments about the need to “hang the bastards” inside there, recalls osoyoos coun. myers bennett.
earlier this year, after a series of senior osoyoos staffers quit their jobs in quick succession, the town’s chief administrative officer told local news outlet the times chronicle that most of the current job vacancies were “a direct result of the efforts of a few vocal members of the community.”
that group’s activity included “verbal abuse and threats hurled at town staff both during work hours and off-work hours,” the times chronicle reported, as well as notes left on vehicles and social media posts including talk of dragging the cao out of town behind a truck.
the anti-government sentiment got bad enough that municipal landscapers mowing lawns and tending gardens have been subjected to angry and obscene comments from passing motorists, bennett said.
“they’re totally innocent,” he said. “it’s just because they work for the town.”
‘you’re needing to really balance competing pressures here,’ saysstewart prest, a political science lecturer at the university of b.c. ‘you want to ensure the rules don’t make it hard to hold political leaders to account.’
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but while some behaviour might be widely condemned, one challenging aspect of this problem is that it’s often not an easy black-and-white answer as to what crosses the line.
so, who should be the one to decide? we don’t want a system where a mayor can indiscriminately bar anyone who disagrees with them from speaking.
“you’re needing to really balance competing pressures here,” said stewart prest, a political science lecturer at the university of b.c. “you want to ensure the rules don’t make it hard to hold political leaders to account… but if you are constantly having to confront harassing language or personal denigration, that’s got to take a toll on politicians and even on other citizens who may just want to get involved.”
osoyoos is bringing a resolution to ubcm next month seeking to lobby the provincial and federal governments for “legislative changes that address the issue of personal and defamatory attacks by members of the public on local government leaders.” the central kootenay regional district is bringing a separate similar resolution.
but it’s not obvious how victoria or ottawa could legislate away this problem, said quesnel coun. laurey-anne roodenburg, who tried to raise the issue of what she called “extreme toxicity” when she served as president of ubcm in 2022.
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during roodenburg’s five terms on city council, the situation has clearly got worse, she said.
debates are good, and should be encouraged. civil disobedience also plays a crucial role in society, including protests that may make people uncomfortable.
“but the problem is a lot of it is based on misinformation,” roodenburg says.
one related issue is the dwindling number of professional journalists and news outlets over the years, an acute problem in smaller communities. for many, facebook might be their primary or their sole source of information about what’s happening in their community.
and while misinformation flourishes on facebook, canadians have been unable to access real news by professional journalists on the platform since its parent company meta banned it last year.
“social media plays a huge role, stuff is just like a fire, it spreads so quickly, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s the truth or not,” roodenburg said.
another resolution going to ubcm deals with a related, but somewhat distinct issue: not harassment directed toward local politicians, but from them.
workplace environment — is bringing a resolution to address “bullying, harassment and other inappropriate treatment” of local government staff and elected officials at the hands of other local politicians. the resolution would ask the b.c. government to amend the workers compensation act so that policies and safeguards against harassment would apply to inappropriate conduct by an elected official.
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“when there is that harassment and toxicity within the council itself — whether it’s toward each other or toward staff — it seems to spread in the community,” roodenburg said. “we need to be able to govern ourselves properly first.”
“there is a general feeling that it’s getting worse, and in my personal experience, it’s definitely getting worse,” she said.
“i don’t know if there is an answer.”
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