‘It’s just a terrible thing’: Manitoba municipality on edge after bullet strikes grader

The mayor and staff with the RM of Alexander are on edge following several incidents they consider threatening. Jeff Keele explains.

A series of threatening incidents in a rural municipality northeast of Winnipeg have left staff and elected officials on edge.

The final straw was a bullet hitting a grader working on a local road.

“It’s just a terrible thing. Do you want to go to work and think that you’re going to be shot at every day? It’s very concerning,” said Jack Brisco, mayor of the Rural Municipality (RM) of Alexander.

Earlier this month, he said a public works employee was operating a grader on a road.

“He heard a bang and just thought it was just a noise from operating the grader,” said Brisco.

It was only after a closer inspection that the driver found a hole in the side of the grader. A bullet — believed to be from a high-powered rifle — pierced through a mesh door. Brisco said no one is supposed to be hunting in the area where the grader was struck, leaving the municipality wondering if this was intentional.

“We are taking it as a threat, and it is being dealt with that way because it is very serious,” said Brisco.

RCMP confirmed it is investigating the incident.

The RM of Alexander said this is the latest of many suspicious incidents it’s dealt with over the last year and a half. Brisco said a lagoon project and another development plan may be causing tensions to rise.

In March 2024, a municipal staff member had a red target spray-painted on their vehicle. The next month, signs were damaged. The RM said its emergency coordinator has faced harassment, and inappropriate social media posts have plagued them.

The RM said the grader incident is the last straw, noting safety precautions are being taken and security cameras have been installed at the RM office.

“People are scared to drive to do their job in the RM, and there was talk they want two people to be in the vehicle together so they’re not alone,” said Brisco.

RCMP said at this time there is no indication the red spray paint incident or the damage to the signs are linked.