New Brunswick·NewNew Brunswick municipal officials discussed the ongoing issue of harassment at meetings in Fredericton this weekend.About 80 per cent of municipal politicians in the province face harassment, recent study shows Rhythm Rathi · CBC News · Posted: Nov 16, 2025 10:13 AM EST | Last Updated: 12 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.St. Stephen Mayor Allan MacEachern says something needs to be done to address harassment municipal officials face. (Ian Curran/CBC)St. Stephen Mayor Allan MacEachern said he deals regularly with harassment from the public.So do other members of his council. As it turns out, about 80 per cent of municipal politicians in the province do as well.A new report released by the Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick and L’Association francophone des municipalités du Nouveau-Brunswick revealed that number. The study involved 48 English and 30 French local elected officials. The report was released in Fredericton this weekend at a symposium on harassment and intimidation. MacEachern said much of the harassment comes from comments on social media. He said it discourages people from entering municipal politics. “You’re scaring away good leaders and I’m really nervous about that, and I’m struggling,” he said.Brittany Merrifield, the union’s president and mayor of Grand Bay-Westfield, agrees with MacEachern’s assessment. Brittany Merrifield is the mayor of Grand Bay-Westfield. (Ian Curran/CBC)“We’re really concerned about recruitment and retention of our elected officials, whether it’s for local government, whether provincial government or whether it’s federal government,” she said.“It’s a tough job and when you have to deal with external factors such as harassment and intimidation, it makes it even more difficult.”She said while harassment is a national problem, it could benefit from a provincial solution. The report says New Brunswick’s framework for dealing with harassment is “weak, with limited prevention, reporting, and accountability.” It suggests “fines, penalties and no-tolerance policies to curb abuse.”It calls for more training and education for politicians and the public. Merrifield said she hopes the province will invest in that area.“It’s not going to help us tomorrow, but it will help the councils of the future,” she said.ABOUT THE AUTHORRhythm Rathi is a reporter with CBC New Brunswick in Moncton. He was born and raised in India, and attended journalism school in Ontario. Send your story tips to rhythm.rathi@cbc.ca With files from Ian Curran
N.B. municipal leaders meet to find solutions to harassment
