District Councillor expresses concerns about hate crimes after intervening in an incident

Heidi Lorenz witnessed a incident involving verbal harassment and intervened

District of Muskoka Councillor Heidi Lorenz expressed concerns about hate crimes and after intervening in an incident which she included in the Hate Stops Here Portal report, during the July 20, 2026, District of Muskoka Council meeting.

Council received the year-to-date report covering April 1 to June 30, 2026, as an information item, which included seven hate-related reports submitted through the portal. Bracebridge accounted for four reports, while Gravenhurst and Huntsville each had one. One report did not identify a municipality.

According to the report, verbal harassment was the most reported form of hate incident, with five reports. Other reported incidents included bullying or intimidation, discrimination, online hate or harassment, graffiti or vandalism, symbolic acts of hate and incidents targeting a community.

Examples included in the report describe incidents involving racist slurs directed at South Asian residents, harassment of students, racist graffiti and discriminatory comments made in public places.

Three incidents occurred in person, and none were reported as occurring online during the reporting period. Two reports were referred to area municipalities, while none were referred to the OPP.

The report notes that incidents are not independently verified and are included as submitted through the reporting portal.

The Hate Stops Here Portal allows individuals to report hate incidents and helps identify trends occurring across the region.

Lorenz said she included information in the report about a situation where she witnessed hate slurs toward a person while at a local store, and then the hate turned toward her after she stepped in to help “because it was the right thing to do.”

She expressed, “I can’t imagine being the person the attack was made on. I just think, imagine if it was directed at you…and how that would make you feel in this community… I just can only imagine how scary it was for the people who were the original target.”

Lorenz also stressed the importance of recognizing and addressing such behaviour. “It’s terrible that this stuff happens but I do think it’s important to recognize it and let the people know who it does happen to that we do care,” she said.

Chair, Jeff Lehman, praised her efforts to help. He said, “Not everyone does…and not because they don’t intend to or have the courage to but sometimes because it’s so shocking in the moment or surprising. You think about what you should do and a minute too late.”