'I shouldn't have to feel uneasy where I live,' Sudbury councillor speaks up about criminal harassment
CBC
It did not take long hateful messages to start landing in Natalie Labbée's inbox when she was elected to represent Ward 7 on Sudbury city council in 2022.
One correspondent had a particularly threatening tone.
"I reached out to this person politely several times. As things started to escalate, there was stronger language, racism and horrible comments," she said.
Labbée says the person in question then started telling her she needed to toughen up, and she wasn't cut out for the job.
"It got to a point where I blocked him on social media," she said, adding that the 81-year-old man would share pictures of Labbée attending cultural or community events accompanied by racist and homophobic comments.
"Then he started mentioning the street I live on, the vehicle I drive, how much it's worth," she said.
According to Labbée, the person then started keeping track of her movements, driving by the house and taking note if her car wasn't in the driveway, asking her where she was.
She started feeling uneasy. "I changed my behaviours, coming home and looking over my shoulder and wondering if he's watching me."
She decided to report him to the police when he visited her home twice in one day. A few days later, criminal harassment charges were laid.
Labbée says the experience was unsettling, but won't stop her from doing her work as a city councillor.
"I have pride in the work I do. I take it very seriously," she said. "I'm using the tools that I have to stay strong and stay focused.
And by imposing this charge of criminal harassment, I'm hoping it's sending a clear message that we're not going to take it and we shouldn't have to," she said.
Labbée's colleagues on council Eric Benoit and Mike Parent both say they've experienced unpleasant interactions, but not on that scale.
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