In October 2014 Hillier, who had been instrumental in organizing rural landowners and helping found the Lanark Landowners Association, referred to members of his former organization as "nutbars," claiming "hen I was there I tried to keep a distance from the fringe elements and the nutbars, if I can put it that way." The practice adopted by Landowners Associations of seeking original Crown patents for their land "has been, quite frankly, a problem for me as an MPP,” Hillier said. “People are following this advice and not getting building permits, and then when the building inspectors visit them they’re phoning me as their MPP and seeking my assistance."