Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador is troubled by the harassment faced by both councillors and staff.

The issue is one that MNL is hoping to see greater action on in 2026.

President Amy Coady says the incidence of harassment is increasing, and councillors and staff aren’t just getting it from the public – but from around their own council tables as well.

Coady says they’re pushing the province for changes to the province’s code of conduct legislation.

She is asking that government give the legislation “a little more teeth” with things like changes to penalties, harassment charges and the length of time it takes to complete code of conduct investigations. She says they want it to be uniform across all municipalities, noting that creating bylaws to deal with the issue is difficult because they are hard to enforce.