Residents near CFB Trenton downplay reports of military backlash

By Laura Stone
Canwest News Service
February 11, 2010


TRENTON, Ont. — If there is any truth to tales of fractured relations between residents and military personnel in this Forces-first eastern Ontario town of approximately 20,000, one would be hard-pressed to find it.

In the town where Col. Russell Williams commanded Canada's busiest air force base, there was talk Thursday of soldiers being harassed or spit at by angry townsfolk.

But when approached, most people here said they support the military more than ever, and save for one "bad apple," as one local man put it, there is no strife among the masses.

Nevertheless, it is a small town, and people talk.

At the aptly titled Rumours bar, a military hangout, owner and former military pilot Pierre Bouchard said he's heard of soldiers being yelled at, or in one case, spit upon while pumping gas.

A survey of some local gas stations, however, failed to confirm that story.

While Bouchard, like most others in and around Trenton, said he was shocked and dismayed by the allegations against Williams, adding he hoped it wouldn't affect military morale.

"This town survives because of the base," said Bouchard. "I'd hate to see people become ashamed of their uniform."

Williams, 46, is charged with in the deaths of Belleville, Ont., resident Jessica Lloyd, 27, and Cpl. Marie-France Comeau, 37, who was posted to Canadian Forces Base Trenton. He is also charged with the forcible confinement and sexual assault of two other women in nearby Tweed, Ont., where he has a cottage.

Many residents said the fact that Williams was in the military shouldn't have any bearing on the way other soldiers are treated in Trenton.

"It could have been anywhere, it could have been a Bay Street, high-profile person," said Tia Waddling, who splits her time between Brighton, Ont., and Toronto.

And if it were, for example, that doesn't mean people should go around spitting on people in suits walking along Bay Street, she said.

At the Independent Grocer on Dundas St. E., Master Cpl. Bryan Hupe cast a large figure alongside civilians in the produce aisle.

He's also heard the stories about spitting, but in his experience, everyone's been treating the military well. At the grocery store, for example, staff can now wear their red "support the troops" shirts every day of the week, and not just Fridays.

Still, Hupe didn't dismiss the rumours outright.

"People are angry, they're confused. People are maybe taking anger out in the wrong spot," he said. "But by and large, everybody's very supportive."

In the parking lot of the grocery store, Johanna Jenkins, 72, called the reported incidents "just ridiculousness."

"As far as I'm concerned, it's stupid, ignorant people who are doing that," she said.

On Wednesday, Gen. Walter Natynczyk, the chief of Canada's defence staff, addressed some 500 officers at CFB Trenton, telling them to stand tall and proud in the face of allegations around their commander.

Still, Canada's top soldier admitted some within the ranks had asked him if they should still wear their uniforms around town. 'Yes,' was his answer.

"This has been a difficult 48 or so hours as we learned what has occurred, but now we've got to move forward and allow the judicial process to unfold, and we have to carry on with our mission," said Natynczyk.

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