Police investigating online threats against Niagara's medical officer of health

Niagara police said Saturday they are investigating alleged threats made to the region's medical officer of health that were posted on social media.

"We are aware of the social media posts in reference to Dr. (Mustafa) Hirji (Niagara's medical officer of health) that have been reported in the media," Niagara police tweeted. "We will not be commenting any further at this time regarding that investigation."

The alleged threats were posted on Facebook the same day as the Ontario government announced that the stay-at-home order will be lifted in 27 more public health units next week, moving the regions back to the colour-coded framework for COVID-19 restrictions.

Niagara was the only region to be placed in the grey-lockdown category, where retail businesses are allowed to reopen with strict capacity limits, but most other things have to stay closed.

In a statement sent to CP24 Saturday evening, Niagara Region Public Health (NRPH) said Dr. Hirji's advice to the province was based on saving the lives of Niagara residents, preventing further lockdowns, and helping businesses to return to operation "with enough predictability and runway that they will be able to effectively recover."

"Many people and business owners are struggling significantly through the pandemic and the social restrictions that have been necessary at times, and this weighs heavily on Dr. Hirji when advising the province on Niagara's situation.

"However, Dr. Hirji also agrees with the consensus of public health experts that reopening the economy too quickly right now risks a devastating third wave and third lockdown which could do even more harm to Niagara's residents and business owners," the statement read.

While Dr. Hirji expected that some will disagree with his assessment, the doctor hopes the debate on the issue will remain civil, NRPH said.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford condemned the threats on Saturday.

"There is absolutely no place for these kinds of threats in Ontario. Cut it out," the premier tweeted.

"Our health officials have only one priority: the health and well-being of their communities. We're lucky to have such dedicated public health officials in Ontario."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he is outraged to hear about the threats, tweeting, "This rhetoric is unacceptable, and I strongly condemn it."

The Ontario Medical Association said in a statement that death threats and all forms of violence must not be tolerated.

"We have seen where hatred takes us," the OMA said. "For more than a year, Ontario's doctors and public health officers have made enormous sacrifices, taken serious risks and worked around the clock to keep Ontarians safe."

"Let's not lose sight of our responsibility to take care of each other."

Niagara Regional Chair Jim Bradley issued a statement calling on all residents of the region to practice civility and "be mindful of how they conduct themselves on social media."

"I want to be unequivocally clear in my rebuke of these public comments: there is no place for violence, disrespect or viciousness in Niagara. This type of language is completely unacceptable and entirely counterproductive. Rhetoric of this kind is embarrassing and does little but discredit any argument an individual may have," Bradley said.

"While I can appreciate that there are those who are frustrated, any call for violence, regardless of the passion a person may be feeling in the moment, is not acceptable."

The mayor of St. Catharines called the threats disturbing in a statement in support of Hirji.

Mayor Walter Sendzik said he understands the frustration and disappointment felt by some residents, but "we are not in a position to led down our guard."

"The emerging contagious variants of COVID-19 pose a real threat and medical professionals are making very calculated decisions to protect their respective communities," Sendzik said.

"Meaningful and passionate engagement is always welcome - and while we may not always agree - any type of bullying and harassment is not acceptable - PERIOD. We are better than this Niagara."

The province's plan to gradually reopen the economy has been criticized, given the threat posed COVID-19 variants. On Thursday, provincial modellers said case counts will likely begin to rise again in late February as the more transmissible B.1.1.7 variant that originated in the United Kingdom becomes the dominant strain in Ontario.

There are nearly 300 lab-confirmed cases of the U.K. variant in the province as of Saturday.

Speaking to CP24 on Friday, Dr. Michael Warner, the medical director of critical care at Michael Garron Hospital, said reopening the province is an irresponsible decision.

"It doesn't make sense. We just need two to four weeks to see whether the variants take hold and whether school reopening is safe. After that, we can start talking about reopening the economy," Warner said.

"More vulnerable people will be vaccinated by then, but to do it now doesn't make any sense. And I challenge any scientist to say publicly that it does make sense because I haven't been able to encounter one."