Councillor’s identity stolen, used in petition she rejects
Police investigating how Laura Ip’s name posted to lockdown petition
Niagara Regional Police have launched an investigation after a regional councillor’s identity was faked and used to include her name on an MPPS anti-coVID-19 lockdown petition she doesn’t support.
On Oct. 2, St. Catharines Coun. Laura Ip received an email thanking her for signing a petition by independent MPP Randy Hillier that opposes provincial government restrictions to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The petition also falsely claims the standard COVID-19 test is “defective and inaccurate” and that the coronavirus no longer presents a risk to the public.
“I absolutely do not support this petition and it is disturbing that someone would attempt to steal a public official’s identity to do this,” said Ip.
What is most troubling to Ip is whoever faked her digital signature used her publicly accessible contact information.
Ip said because whoever signed her name to the petition — it was being circulated by members of a local antimask group on its Facebook page — used her public email, she was able to use it to sign into the website, change the Laura Ip account password and remove her name from the petition.
She then contacted police and alerted regional council.
Ip said there is nothing about Hillier’s petition she supports.
“What I have said to people is that if we want to avoid future lockdowns, then that means doing the things public health is recommending — keeping two metres apart, wearing a mask and washing your hands frequently,” she said.
When contacted by the St. Catharines Standard, a police spokesperson said the issue is being investigated by detectives in St. Catharines.
Hillier, once a Tory MPP, did not respond to interview requests from the Standard.
Through a spokesperson, his office said in an emailed statement Hillier is co-operating fully with the police investigation.
Asked about the petition, the spokesperson said Hillier’s online petitions — they also include one against wearing masks during the pandemic — are never presented to the Ontario legislature but rather used to gauge public support for the MPP’S
causes.
The Standard also asked how even an informal petition can be used to gauge any level of public support if signatures can be so easily faked.
“The fact that there is a police investigation is evidence that the verification process works,” the email said.
“Members of all political parties use the same platform for petitions all the time.”
Hillier’s office did not say how it determines if any of the more than 11,000 signatures on the lockdown petition are fake.