RCMP called to premier’s home
Dennis King indicates bitter criticism levelled at him, Dr. Heather Morrison
A visit from a neighbour prompted a call to the RCMP from the home of Premier Dennis King Friday.
In response to a media question during a briefing later in the day, King admitted to the RCMP visit to his home. He seemed to indicate a comment from a personal contact was misinterpreted by his wife to be a threat.
"Someone came to the house, where I live. They were upset with some decisions that we had made,” King said.
"It was a neighbour of ours who lived down the road who wanted to chat. I actually called the neighbour, and we had a good chat.”
In an interview with The Guardian late on Friday, King said the matter had been a misunderstanding. King said he later had a “cordial and nice” conversation with his neighbour.
"I feel most horrible for my neighbour, I hope he doesn't watch this on TV and think that he unleashed some series of events,” King said.
Earlier in the media conference King had said he was disappointed with some of the comments that have been made following a controversial decision by the province to allow seasonal residents to begin the process of returning to the Island as of June 1.
He hinted that some unfair criticism had been levelled at chief public health officer Dr. Heather Morrison.
“I’m not upset to be critiqued and scrutinized. That’s my job — I’m the premier. We should be scrutinized,” King said during the briefing.
“Where I get upset is when they target individuals (of a) high calibre like Dr. Morrison.”
During the briefing, Morrison also became visibly emotional during her remarks. “We have a great deal to look forward to. We need to be thankful. Please be patient, please be kind,” Morrison said during the briefing.
In a later interview King said Morrison has been copied on correspondence directed at him. Sometimes this had involved vitriolic criticism. Other times the criticism has been directed at Dr. Morrison, King said.
King said he understood Islanders have been scared and frustrated in recent weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But he said it was unfair to lash out like this at public health officials rather than political leaders.
“I’ve tried a couple of times during these 10 weeks to reassure Islanders and remember who we are,” King said.
“Fear and anger – they’re very close cousins.”
During the media briefing King also addressed comments made by New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs about the decision to allow seasonal residents to return to the Island. On Wednesday, Higgs had said in a media interview that he was surprised by the decision of the P.E.I. government and suggested it might delay plans for a “bubble” between the two provinces, allowing travel without quarantines.
King said he had talked to Higgs on Tuesday before the measure was announced.
“We talked about a number of things and one of them was our desire to begin on June 1 doing what the province of Nova Scotia has been doing for the last four and a half weeks, and that is to allow seasonal residents to make their way back from Canadian provinces.”
The province entered the second phase of its plan to ease public health restrictions on Friday. Retail stores and barber shops have reopened, as have a number of childcare facilities across P.E.I.
Households can also gather with up to five people inside their home and 10 outside.