Why some Canadian municipalities fund home security for elected officials while others are secretive about it
There's been a 'huge spike' in threats against politicians, says Calgary university prof
With threats and harassment against elected officials intensifying in recent years, some Canadian municipalities are using taxpayer dollars to fund politicians' home security systems.
Of the 21 municipalities contacted by CBC, only eight started paying for the home security systems of members of council in the last few years, some won't discuss it all and the majority openly said that's not an eligible expense.
"I've had people show up at my home in the evening. I've received several death threats, including shuttering in place at home with the children," said Elizabeth Peloza, a London, Ont., councillor.
"You never know how credible they are. I know people get passionate and they're hurting or really upset having felt that they weren't heard before ... but there's constructive ways to bring those forward," she said.
With three children, Peloza describes feeling "very vulnerable in those moments."
The City of London is one of the municipalities that wouldn't say if it funds home security for politicians, due to "security reasons."
But Peloza told CBC the municipality does cover the cost of her home security system.
Windsor, Ont., Edmonton and Halifax also won't discuss the personal security of elected officials or divulge whether taxpayer dollars are spent on security measures at local politicians' homes.
"We should take that matter seriously, but to take it seriously, we have to discuss it publicly. Keeping the information secret, I think, is not the way to go," said Geneviève Tellier, professor in the school of political studies at the University of Ottawa.
CBC News has learned there are closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in the home of Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens due to risks identified by the city's head of security.
Specific threats against Dilkens were redacted from a document CBC News obtained through a separate freedom of information process.
Knives, bats, ammo found near Windsor city hall
However, the document did reference a verbal threat against the mayor at a polling station in 2022 that prompted security personnel to surround his home for a period of time. Knives, bats, shovel handles and live rounds of ammunition were found or confiscated in and around city hall, according to the same document.
"The kind of manifestation ... that we see now has maybe reached another level where people are a bit more aggressive," said Tellier.
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From Tellier's perspective, she said it's a reasonable expense for municipalities to pay for security measures at the homes of elected officials, but only if there is a specific threat.
She questions regions that allow this as a blanket policy for all elected officials, even those who have not received any threats or do not feel unsafe.
"I don't see this as a necessity," said Tellier.
Many municipalities don't cover home security costs
Eleven of the 21 municipalities contacted by CBC News do not allow elected officials to claim home security as an expense. Those include Thunder Bay, Sudbury and Barrie, all in Ontario, Whitehorse, Charlottetown, Fredericton, N.B., St. John's, Winnipeg, Victoria, Regina and Montreal.
The City of Brampton does allow them to expense home security, but a spokesperson said current members of council are not billing the municipality for these services.
However, Kelly Sundberg, a criminologist at Mount Royal University in Calgary, said this type of expense should be available to all elected officials so that Canada's democracy can function.
"People will avoid elected office because they fear being doxxed [releasing personal information], where their home address is put out, protesters coming to their home. They fear for their personal safety. This is really, really difficult and is a real strain on our democracy."
Offering to cover the cost of security at the homes of politicians will encourage future candidates to run for office and give them "a little bit of peace of mind," said Sundberg.
"I think that it's important for the municipal, provincial, federal government to let possible candidates know that should they become elected, that they're going to be safe in the workplace. Their work does come home, including sometimes with the protesters in tow."
Sundberg is also with the non-profit Safe Design Council, which looks at training, safety and preparedness without unnecessary security features. He's also worked with municipal, provincial and federal governments on best security practices.
The increased use of social media and new conspiracy groups, Sundberg said, has contributed to a "huge spike" in threats against elected officials over the last decade.
"It's really sad that we've come to this point."
'It's not what I signed up for'
For Peloza, a difficult part of her job is facing threats and being accosted in public.
She gets frustrated when people say she should expect this behaviour as it's what she signed up for as a politician.
"No. No elected official signed up being like, 'Please threaten to hurt and harm me, my children, my family,'" said Peloza. "We signed up to serve our community. We might have different views on how best to do that, but there are constructive ways to do that.
"It's not what I signed up for," she added.
There's an increasing number of people who think that violence is an acceptable form of political expression.- Jared Wesley, University of Alberta political scientist
A mayor of a city in P.E.I. just recently reinstituted his open-office policy for constituents and returned to social media after receiving specific online threats against him and his family.
In May, a federal committee learned harassment toward MPs has increased nearly 800 per cent over the last five years, according to the sergeant-at-arms and corporate security officer for the House of Commons.
In January, a 28-year-old man was charged after firing a long gun and throwing a Molotov cocktail inside Edmonton city hall.
"There's an increasing number of people who think that violence is an acceptable form of political expression," said Jared Wesley, political scientist at the University of Alberta.
He's currently working on a toolkit with resources, which will be posted online, to understand "what are the boundaries of democratic discourse and behaviour."
Small price to pay
Wesley said the cost of home security seems to be a small price to pay to keep elected officials safe.
"If we don't [protect our democratic officials], we're going to have fewer people, and fewer of the types of people, who make our councils diverse be a part of the process because they're not willing to put themselves, or their families, at risk."
Luckily for Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe, she's experienced "very little" inappropriate behaviour from constituents, she said.
Still, she supports municipalities paying for the home security of elected officials to help ensure the safety of people who choose to run.
And despite not experiencing much harassment or threats personally, McCabe sees it online and hears about it from other politicians.
"I think there's no question that has escalated. The language and some of the vitriol has increased dramatically."
Sundberg agrees.
"The threat against elected officials has really increased over the last decade, significantly — we've seen a huge spike."
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