Man charged for antisemitic threats against Ottawa family doctor

Ottawa-Carleton District School Board trustee Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth says she was subject to a threating antisemitic phone call against her which has led to a 39-year-old man from British Columbia being charged.

Ottawa-Carleton District School Board trustee Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth says she was subject to a threating and antisemitic phone call against her which has led to a 39-year-old man from British Columbia being charged with hate-motivated offences on Monday.

In a press release on Monday morning, the Ottawa Police Service Hate and Crime Bias Unit say they charged a man with several offences for a phone call against a healthcare professional which also included mysoginistic and intimidating threats, but did not name the victim.

Dr. Kaplan-Myrth, an outspoken family doctor in Ottawa, posted to social media on Monday morning that she was the target of the alleged phone call.

"I have been living in fear because of threats and antisemitic harassment," she wrote in the post.

Police did not provide other details on the suspect and he was not named. The man is scheduled to appear in court in January.

Kaplan-Myrth says she has been the subject of antisemitism and threats on social media since she was elected as an OCDSB trustee in last year's municipal election. She has been an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and public health policies, including mask mandates.

Kaplan-Myrth is Jewish and the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors.