ManitobaThe Association of Manitoba Municipalities, which represents mayors, councillors and other leaders in the province, has released a new toolkit aimed at helping others deal with harassment, threats and violence.Recent incidents make toolkit release timely, says Association of Manitoba Municipalities presidentEric Westhaver · CBC News · Posted: Dec 11, 2025 6:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 3 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.A Nov. 1 photo shows a display depicting local officials hanging from a gallows, set up in a yard at a home in the rural municipality of Taché. (Abdellatif Izika/CBC)A group representing Manitoba mayors, councillors and other leaders has released a new toolkit, meant to help elected leaders and staff deal with harassment, threats and violence.The Association of Manitoba Municipalities and the Strong Cities Network released the 74-page document in Toronto on Wednesday, during an international meeting of mayors and community leaders. The toolkit built with Strong Cities — a global network of cities that works against extremism and hate at a local level — includes tips for elected officials or people running for local office on how to deal with threats, harassment, meeting disruptions and online hate.The toolkit was made after meetings last spring and a survey of AMM members and councillors.”We’ve had a lot of collaboration and partners to get to today and release it. That’s been fantastic,” said Kathy Valentino, the president of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities.”We’ve been hearing a lot from elected officials and municipal administrators all across Manitoba. We’re hearing the same story — that they’re facing hate and harassment from residents, just for doing our jobs.”The back of a van belonging to an RM of Alexander employee was spray-painted with a red bull’s eye. (Submitted by RM of Alexander)Valentino, a three-time councillor in Thompson, said knowing how to deal with threats and hate close to home is becoming more important, mentioning two recent incidents in southern Manitoba. Those include a Halloween display in the rural municipality of Tache that showed five life-sized human figures — interpreted to represent local officials — hanging from nooses.And last month, the rural municipality of Alexander said an unknown person or people shot at a local grader while it was being driven. The RM has also seen signs and a water-fill station vandalized, and a bull’s eye was spray-painted on an RM employee’s vehicle. Incidents like these are one of the reasons it was important to release the toolkit, said Valentino.It’s also meant to show people thinking of running in local elections next year that doing so is safe.”It seems to be happening more and more, harassment and anti-government hate. It’s what led us to releasing this toolkit today,” she said.130 recommendationsValentino said there’s a place for civil discussion and debate in politics, but that can too often turn violent or threatening for local officials.”I think that’s the whole idea, to be proactive in an environment right now where we’re seeing anti-government hate and harassment. I look at this more as being proactive recommendations that can help it not get to that point,” she said.The toolkit also includes 130 recommendations, aimed at educating and protecting municipal staff and workers, councillors, mayors and other officials.”If just one of these can make a difference for a government official to deal with anti-government hate and harassment, then it’s done its job,” said Valentino.ABOUT THE AUTHOREric Westhaver is a journalist with CBC Manitoba, working out of Flin Flon. Born and raised in the north, Eric worked with the Flin Flon Reminder for nine years before joining CBC in 2025. His email is eric.westhaver@cbc.ca.
Manitoba municipal group releases anti-harassment toolkit for mayors, officials
