Fecal matter, threats and vandalism: Ontario’s College of Physicians and Surgeons details abuse
Global News
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, which licenses the province's doctors, wants the Ministry of Health to help protect staff and council members from threats.
The regulatory body for medicine in Ontario says it had fecal matter hung on its front door, part of a rising tide of “threatening and hate-filled” abuse directed at its staff and members.
The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) says its buildings have also been shot at multiple times and its windows were broken, leading to police call-outs.
This week, the CPSO announced it was moving all of its hearings online and limiting public access to its buildings due to “serious threats” to the safety of its staff and members.
The number of threats has been rising, a CPSO spokesman told Global News, and include accusations of the College “committing crimes against humanity, calling for violence against staff, and graphic death threats.”
“Unfortunately, these events are becoming commonplace as disinformation continues to spread on social media, creating a hostile environment of intimidation and violence,” he said.
Toronto Police confirmed that they had been called to the College for reports of mischief four times in the past 12 months.
It comes after the abuse facing the CPSO was highlighted in a Global News investigation that debunked a conspiracy theory linking the death of at least 80 Canadian doctors to the COVID-19 vaccine.
In Ontario alone, there are 50 active cases against 30 doctors for allegedly spreading misinformation about COVID-19. However, only two of the cases have concluded in three years.
