BRENDA O’FARRELL
The 1510 West

While hate mail sent to two Pointe Claire city councillors recently is being widely denounced as unacceptable, it is at the same time widening the polarized divide that has come to characterize the political climate in the municipality.

“This has to be development related,” said councillor Eric Stork, who along with colleague Kelly Thorstad-Cullen received the hand-written letters via Canada Post last week at city hall.

Although Stork admits he has no proof what prompted the anger-filled messages, which consisted of the identical five lines calling the elected officials names and, using profanity, telling them to “go to hell” and to “drop dead,” he is convinced they were prompted by council’s recent approval of a 367-unit apartment project. Although the two 13-storey project slated for the northwest corner of St. Jean Blvd. and Labrosse Ave. was approved unanimously by council in September, Stork believes he and Thorstad-Cullen were signalled out because they both sit on the city’s planning advisory committee.

Both Stork and Thorstad-Cullen also spoke publicly at the September council meeting supporting the project.

But in an interview with The 1510 West, Stork went one step farther, pointing to Pointe Claire Mayor Tim Thomas for “irresponsibly” making what he called “a false argument” in opposing the project.

“That creates fear-mongering,” Stork said, explaining that Thomas’s argument that triplexes on the site of the proposed project “is irresponsible.”

He offered similar comment to other media.

In response, Thomas issued the following statement: “As mayor, I join in condemning this and all threats, harassment and intimidation in our local politics and expressing my sympathy for the councillors and their families.”

Then added: “This kind of behaviour is, unfortunately, not new to Pointe Claire. Former councillor Erin Tedford was subjected to a long campaign of intimidation and harassment, which included trespassing and vandalism at her home.”

Although the harassment contributed to Tedford’s decision to resign her seat on council and she had reported the incidents to police, Thomas said, she opted to deal with it privately. This contrasts with Stork’s approach to make public statements linking the letters to his support for a development project, the mayor pointed out.

“Attempting to weaponize (the threats) for political gain is wrong and will only make a bad situation worse,” he said.

A complaint about the letters was filed with police, and Stock was interview by officers. The investigation is ongoing.

Thorstad-Cullen could not be reached for comment.

In June, the provincial government adopted a new law that allows fines of up to $1,500 to be slapped on anyone who intimidates or harasses a politician. The law also allows elected officials to seek a court injunction against a citizen who threatens, intimidates or harasses them.

The Coalition Avenir Québec government adopted the law in an attempt stem the rise in resignations of elected officials, particularly at the municipal level.

Since the last municipal election in 2021, at least 741 of Quebec’s 8,000 local politicians — almost 10 per cent — have quit.

In addition, a survey of mayors and city councillors in Quebec conducted by the Union des municipalités du Québec in the fall of 2023 found that 74 per cent reported experiencing harassment or intimidation.

The survey prompted Quebec Municipal Affairs Minister Andrée Laforest earlier this year to establish a telephone helpline to connect officials and members of their families with psychological aid.