UPDATED -- CBC Marketplace caused a stir in Alliston when it started selling T-shirts bearing "white power" and "Make Canada Great Again" slogans in a social experiment designed to see how Canadians react to racism.

The reaction by some residents was to call the police when they saw a CBC actor selling the T-shirts on Victoria Street in downtown Alliston.

Nottawasaga OPP media relations officer Const. Harry Lawrenson confirmed the detachment put an end to the film shoot on Jan. 11 after receiving complaints from a couple of residents.

“When our officer arrived, (one complainant) went absolutely ballistic on these people,” he said. “So our officer determined it was a public disturbance and decided to shut it down.”

Lawrenson said selling T-shirts with the phrase "white power" isn't illegal.

“While it’s hurtful to many people, it’s not crossing a line in terms of hate propaganda,” he said.

The CBC said a report it commissioned looking at Canadians’ online behaviour revealed a 600 per cent jump in the past year in the use of language that is racist, Islamophobic, sexist or intolerant.

To test the rise of intolerance off-line, the CBC Marketplace episode called "The Trump Effect in Canada" began its social experiments in Alliston, which they noted is part of Simcoe-Grey MP Kellie Leitch’s riding.

Leitch has been compared to United States President Donald Trump since she called his election win “an exciting message” that needs to be delivered in Canada.

According to the CBC, four shirts with one of the slogans were sold in under an hour during the experiment in Allison. The experiment was also conducted in Barrie, where two shirts were sold, and in Toronto, where one shirt was sold.