Residents are torn between anger, loyalty

By Laura Stone, Canwest News Service
February 10, 2010


BELLEVILLE, Ont. — The 50,000 residents of this city at the eastern end of Lake Ontario are torn.

On one hand, the tragedy of Jessica Lloyd's murder has made a lot of people angry. In a place where everybody knows everybody, some won't give their names to reporters as they don't want to be seen as disrespecting Lloyd's family by talking publicly about the commanding officer of nearby CFB Trenton — now charged in her murder and the murder of Marie-France Comeau, 38, a corporal at the base.

On the other, there is a fierce loyalty to the military. The local Legion hosts the Canadian Forces base commander from nearby Trenton, Ont. every year — as they did with Col. Russell Williams this past January — and the OHL hockey team is scheduled for a "Faceoff for the Forces" night on Saturday.

No one knows what to say, except this: they just don't understand how, and why, this could happen.

"That stuff just doesn't happen here," one bartender who knew Lloyd from high school said Tuesday.

Grief for Lloyd, 27, is palpable and public. "We love u Jessica," read signs along the road.

But something else has died, too —_a small city's idea of itself as peaceful and safe.

"You would think this would happen in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, but no, it's right here in your own backyard," said Ab Wright, who has lived in Belleville for 40 years down the street from Lloyd's home.

Like many others, Wright feels a mixture of sadness and relief at the arrest of Williams, who also faces charges of sexual assault against two other women.

Ralph Collins, the president of Branch 99 of the Royal Canadian Legion, recalled meeting Williams at the New Year's Day party.

"Like everybody else, I'm shocked," said Collins. "As far as I was concerned, he was just another officer in uniform."

Around a common table in the branch, men and a few women sip beverages and talk about the news.

"You would not expect this," said Gord Bodmore, 74, a former Toronto fire department chief, shaking his head.

"I really have a hard time getting it in my head," he said, adding, Williams "had a very good reputation."

Still, few will talk about Williams. Those who do want to make it very clear — this is about one man, and one man only.

"This isn't about the military," said Mayor John Williams of nearby Quinte West. "We're here to support the military, the men and women out there do a great job, they work extremely hard. We'll let the justice system deal with him."

As leader of the municipality that includes Trenton, Williams spoke with Williams every week. He was very professional but kept to himself, Williams said.

"He wasn't what I would call an outgoing individual . . . fairly reserved and hard to get to know a bit. Hard to warm up to," said the mayor.

At the arena that's home to the Belleville Bulls hockey team, no one would talk about Williams.

It's too soon, said one manager. But he added the team still supports the troops.

Twenty-five kilometres west along Highway 401, Trenton has long had its economy are linked to the military. Construction of the base, which began in 1929, was an economic boon for the area during the Depression and again during the Second World War.

CFB Trenton is the largest military airbase in Canada. With about 3,500 civilian and military on the payroll, it is the largest employer in Trenton, population 20,000.

At Branch 110 of the Royal Canadian Legion in Trenton, the arrest was on everyone's lips Tuesday.

Don, a retired sergeant who declined to give his last name, said Williams was a nightly customer at the officer's mess where his daughter often served him drinks.

He says the thought that his daughter might have been at risk did cross his mind when he heard about the arrest, but says Williams "never made a pass at her."

"She's finding it hard to believe. He seemed like a nice guy," he said.

When asked if he thinks the recent events would change the perception of the military in the community, he responds: "I'm going to give it a little time to see what happens."

Eighteen-year-old Nathan Wells, who lives on the base and whose father is in the military, called the news "devastating."

"It's pretty crazy. The mood is down right now and everyone is grieving for the girl's family right now."

The most distressing aspect about the arrest, said Wells, is the esteem with which Williams was held.

"He was very well respected, not just because he was the base commander. He was also a nice person. He was always smiling and shaking hands with people. He was well thought of."

— With files from National Post

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