Guelph-Eramosa Mayor Chris White vows the township will use any and all means at its disposal to find the person responsible for throwing a large rock through the window of a road grader, narrowly missing the operator.
“It needs to be known we will protect our employees,” White said last week. “This is a very serious incident.”
Public works manager Ken Gagnon told council that on March 25 at about 11:20am “a fist size rock” was hurled “from a speeding pick-up truck” through the side window of a grader on the 3rd Line of former Eramosa Township, just north of 20th Sideroad.
The police were immediately called about the incident, Gagnon said, and the window was replaced at a cost of $159.
“If it had hit him … it could have been a lot worse,” said Gagnon. He explained there has been some resistance from residents who are apparently upset with the township’s gravel recovery and road maintenance practices.
“The resistance has ranged from verbal insults [to] obscene gestures,” he said, adding the rock-throwing incident was the first of its kind.
Councillor Roger Knapp called the incident “a sign of the times,” explaining his company has encountered similar behaviour while working on roads.
Knapp blamed the provincial and federal governments for not cracking down on offences in construction zones and said the public needs to be better informed, perhaps through signage.
“This behaviour’s not because of signage,”?White replied, calling the incident “absolutely unacceptable” under any circumstances.
Councillor Doug Breen agreed.
“This is just beyond belief to me,” Breen said. “No matter how annoyed you are … at what point do you pick up a rock and throw it at someone? I’m amazed at where we’ve come to as a society.”
Responding to comments from the wife of the operator, who was still visibly upset by the incident, White said the township “will not rest” until the matter is resolved.
“There’s no excuse for this – none … We’re all pretty much shocked by this,” White said, adding the municipality will also look into preventative measures going forward, possibly including the installation of cameras on road equipment.
Council unanimously passed a resolution to provide to the OPP and other agencies any resources necessary to resolve the issue and also to look into preventative measures in the future. Anyone with information about this incident should contact the OPP at 519-856-1506 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (1-800-222-TIPS) or submit a tip on-line at crimestoppers-wellington.com.
