A 56-year-old Peterborough man is facing an assault charge after police say he opened the door of a city sidewalk snowplow and tried to remove ear protection from the operator. Cassandra Babcock, the city's public works director, said, “Don’t engage the operators, give them the space to perform the work.” The Association of Ontario Road Supervisors and CUPE 504 say harassment and intimidation toward winter maintenance workers has been increasing across Ontario.