A group of protesters showed up at the home of Chatham-Kent’s medical officer of health Tuesday night to challenge tightened public-health restrictions introduced earlier in the week.
Content article
A group of protesters showed up at the home of Chatham-Kent’s medical officer of health Tuesday night to challenge tightened public-health restrictions introduced earlier in the week.
Content article
During a livestreamed protest, demonstrators served Dr. David Colby with what they described as “notice of liability” papers for his decision to impose restrictions on private gatherings in an attempt to slow the recent rise in area COVID-19 cases.
Filming the event for social media was Liz Vallee, the People’s Party of Canada candidate in the last federal election and a vocal critic of public-health measures and vaccine mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She posted a separate video Wednesday that said she was invited to walk in support of the group but claimed wasn’t behind serving the papers.
“There was only a few people… that went to his door to do that,” Vallee said.
As for emerging online criticism the protest at Colby’s home was in poor taste, Vallee suggested it has often been difficult to find public officials during the pandemic to directly make complaints.
“It’s called freedom of speech,” said Vallee, who is facing charges under the Reopening Ontario Act stemming from rallies against COVID 19 restrictions earlier this year.
In an email Wednesday, Colby dismissed the “notice of liability” prepared by the protesters.
“Two people rang the doorbell and handed me some gibberish with a flash drive. It was not a legal document, ”he said. “There was a small protest with shouting abusive language. No physical violence, but not peaceful. ”
Chatham-Kent police confirmed that officers did respond to a group of demonstrators at the doctor’s home.
Content article
“Everyone was peaceful upon police arrival and no one was arrested or charged,” Const. Renee Cowell said.
In another response to the restrictions, a Chatham-area lawyer sent a letter to the public health office challenging Colby’s tightened restrictions on private gatherings, which are set to drop from 25 to 10 on Friday.
Steve Pickard said the medical officer of health lacked the authority under the Reopening Ontario Act to regulate private dwellings while acknowledging they have some leeway to make orders affecting businesses or organizations that are open to the public.
Pickard said he was surprised by Colby’s measure when he read the doctor’s letter of instruction.
The lawyer said he wasn’t advocating for people to disobey the restrictions, but stressed he will only be following the provincial directive, which still limits private gatherings to 25 people.
Pickard declined to comment on the Colby’s rationale for the new restrictions, saying he’s not a health expert, but noted that wasn’t the point of his letter or decision.
“I’m going to govern myself according to what I believe,” he said, “but I think everyone has to make their own decisions.”
Colby said the health unit will issue a clarification and revised letter of instruction regarding its legal jurisdiction, but stressed he has the “authority to limit the size of private gatherings under the Health Protection and Promotion Act.”
He said nothing has changed about the provisions of the order.
The province’s Health Ministry did not respond to a request for clarification about the scope of the health protection legislation.