Trudeau, Ford back Niagara medical officer
Official was target of online threats following tightening of COVID-19 restrictions last week
ST. CATHARINES—Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Doug Ford condemned Saturday online threats directed at Niagara’s acting medical officer of health.
Niagara Regional Police launched an investigation following the online publication Saturday of a St. Catharines Standard story about the threats of assault and murder of Dr. Mustafa Hirji.
“I am outraged to hear threats have been made against Dr. @MustafaHirji, the medical officer of health for Niagara Region,” Trudeau tweeted late Saturday night.
“This rhetoric is unacceptable, and I strongly condemn it. He, and all public health officials working to keep us safe, deserve nothing but our sincere thanks.”
Political reaction to the story was swift Saturday, with politicians of all parties and leading physicians and medical associations from across Ontario condemning the threats and showing support for Hirji.
“There is absolutely no place for these kinds of threats in Ontario. Cut it out,” Ford tweeted. “Our health officials have only one priority: the health and wellbeing of their communities. We’re lucky to have such dedicated public health officials in Ontario.”
Federal Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna on Twitter called the threats “appalling.”
Niagara Region Chair Jim Bradley said in a statement Saturday evening “there is no room for violence in Niagara.”
“I want to remind members of the public that Dr. Hirji is doing what he believes necessary to protect the health and lives of those in the community. 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,” Bradley wrote.
Other local politicians, including St. Catharines regional Couns. Kelly Edgar and Laura Ip, Pelham regional Coun.
Diana Huson, St. Catharines city Couns. Karrie Porter and Lori Littleton, St. Catharines MP Chris Bittle, Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati and Niagara NDP MPPs Jennie Stevens, Wayne Gates and Jeff Burch also condemned the threats directed at Hirji.
Sam Oosterhoff, Tory MPP for Niagara West, who tweeted Friday he was disappointed by the grey zone announcement and said the move was based on Hirji’s advice, said in a Saturday tweet, “This threatening, bullying and disrespectful language should never be used.”
In a statement, St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik said while he understands how much people are struggling because their “livelihoods have been torn apart due to COVID-19,” Hirji is “in one of the most difficult positions that very few people would want to be in right now.”
“He is making decisions based on what he sees as the best for Niagara — right now — and into the future. Any type of bullying and harassment is not acceptable — period. We are better than this, Niagara,” Sendzik wrote.
The threats against Hirji were made on Facebook in response to a call by the owner of Chrome Artistic Barbering in St. Catharines that Hirji be fired. The barber shop has been fined and ordered closed for violating COVID-19 regulations.
Facebook user Maggie Steiss wrote “The bastard has to go now. By any means necessary including force.”
User Rick Bijakowski wrote: “Let’s put his head on a stick.”
Bijakowski’s call for beheading Hirji has since been removed, but it was liked by Mark Wood, owner of the Office Tap and Grill, board member of the St. Catharines Downtown Association and organizer of the United Hospitality Niagara group, which has been calling for Hirji to be fired for months.
The group has circulated a petition — signed Saturday and promoted by controversial former regional chair Alan Caslin — that falsely claims Hirji abused his powers as medical officer of health.
Those calls intensified after the grey zone announcement was made Friday. Members of the hospitality group began asking for help organizing protests at Hirji’s home and at Niagara Region headquarters. At least one member of the group warned protesters should be prepared to be arrested.
In Facebook posts Saturday, Wood called for regional councillors to be buried with “so many statements they have to cave.”
“Politicians want to help but they also want to keep their jobs.”
He also posted an open letter to Bradley in which he called Hirji “an elitist with a big bank account only concerned about his reputation.”
“Every day you allow that man to continue to speak on behalf of the council is another day you loose (sic) respect and support from the great people of Niagara,” Wood wrote.
In another post, Wood said “Let’s make them pay for treating us like criminals.”
In response to the Standard’s story about the threats directed Hirji, Wood claimed on Facebook “No one actually threatened any real violence here.”
Meanwhile, travel agent Jen Jackson Langlois, also unhappy with the grey zone announcement, posted on Facebook that she knows where Hirji lives and would vandalize his house with eggs.
The public health department released a statement on behalf of Hirji on Saturday evening saying he “understands that there are strong feelings around the provincial government’s decision to open Niagara up to only the grey lockdown level.”
“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.”
Top Ontario physicians and healthcare leaders voiced support for Hirji Saturday, including Niagara Health president and interim chief executive officer Lynn Guerriero, the Ontario Hospital Association and the Ontario Medical Association.
“There is absolutely no place for these kinds of threats in Ontario. Cut it out.”
PREMIER DOUG FORD