Keep it civil
Growing number of people are loud and aggressive to municipal staff
Municipal employees are facing a growing amount of aggression, rudeness and incivility, says a report to Trent Hills council.
The municipality is responding by installing video cameras and signs in the entrance to the municipal office calling for public restraint in an effort to stop people from being loud and aggressive toward staff.
“It’s sad that it’s come to this,” said Councillor Rick English. “It bothers me that we need a policy on how people should act.”
Council passed a policy that sets out how such incidents will be handled and when police should be involved.
“Over the last several months negative interactions at the front counter of the Trent Hills municipal office have increased and several members of the public exhibiting incivility have been asked to leave the office,” the report to council says. “This is, unfortunately, becoming a more common occurrence.
“The policy outlines and defines the behaviour that is considered to be disrespectful and harassing, as well as the procedures to follow if a staff member is experiencing this form of harassment.”
Signs will be erected to alert visitors of the zero-tolerance policy for uncivil behaviour and to make them aware of the security cameras.
“It’s sad that we have to put this in place,” said Deputy Mayor Mike Metcalf.
“We want staff to know that we are behind them,” English said.
The rise in rude behaviour is not just a local problem. A survey by AMCTO (Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks, and Treasurers of Ontario) found 94 per cent of respondents reported experiencing incivility from members of the public and 85 per cent had been harassed.
One issue we haven’t had here was reported by the provincial survey: 66 per cent of respondents reported experiencing harassment from members of council and 77 per cent said they had experienced incivility.
Anyone who causes problems could face restrictions such as being refused access to municipal programs or properties, being issued a Notice of Trespass, or restricting how the individual can contact staff, for example, only permitting emails.
Arena sales discussed in private
At the end of its public session on Tuesday, Trent Hills council went into a closed private session to hear an update on the sale of the Hastings and Campbellford arena lands.
This seemed a bit odd since the Hastings sale, for $650,000, was announced more than a year ago to an unnamed developer who planned a commercial and residential building.
After meeting in private for 17 minutes, council approved a motion accepting a verbal update on the arena sales from Planning Director Jim Peters and as usual told staff to proceed as directed in the closed session.
I asked what there was to discuss about the sales but didn’t get a response. Mayor Bob Crate assured me it was just a routine motion.
New road named — Lockside Drive
A road on Meyers Island that was recently assumed into the municipal system now has a name — Lockside Drive.
In 2023 severances were granted for three properties that faced onto an unassumed municipal road that was used by Ontario Power Generation to access the Meyersberg Generating Station near Lock 9.
“The road was not to municipal standards, and as a requirement of approval had to upgraded in order for it to be assumed as part of the municipal road system,” said a report to council. “This has been completed, and the road was assumed by the municipality during the August 12, 2025 council meeting.”
The report said municipal staff considered a number of names from a list of acceptable ones. “These names follow themes such as trees, flowers, historic town names, and descriptive compound words,” the report says. “Staff had examined the possibility of using a name related to the symbols of Estonia, but were unable to find any that matched the possibility.”
After settling on Lock, staff decided to make it Lockside since other roads on Meyers are Hillside and Riverside.
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Somehow people in general seem much harsher, less patient and understanding. Shame.