A man has been charged with hate-motivated crimes against a health-care worker after allegedly making multiple threats over the phone.
The Ottawa Police Hate and Bias Crime Unit issued a warrant for Louis Mertzelos, a 58-year-old man from Windsor, on Thursday. He was charged with harassing communication, harassment by repeated communication, mischief and intimidation of health service.
That latter charge is under a new law that aims to protect health-care workers from the surge of violence and threats seen during the pandemic. Bill C-3, which took effect in January, created two new Criminal Code offences: using fear to stop a health-care worker or those who assist them from performing their duties, or to prevent a person from obtaining health services; and obstructing any person from accessing health facilities.
Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth, an Ottawa family doctor and school board trustee candidate identified herself as the victim.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
Here is the official police release: <a href="https://t.co/qpZfyUlVBx">https://t.co/qpZfyUlVBx</a>
I wasn’t kidding when when I said there’s no tolerance for harassment of a physician or antisemitic hate (or any form of racism/bigotry). This is about holding hateful, threatening people accountable. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EnoughIsEnough?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EnoughIsEnough</a>
— Nili Kaplan-Myrth MD PhD (@nilikm) <a href="https://twitter.com/nilikm/status/1580572841078304770?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
"I wasn’t kidding when ... I said there’s no tolerance for harassment of a physician or antisemitic hate (or any form of racism/bigotry)," she said. "This is about holding hateful, threatening people accountable."
Health-care workers have faced a surge in harassment and violence during the pandemic. The health system has faced unprecedented strain, meaning wait times are longer and some are going without care for longer. A rise in anti-vaccine sentiment has also resulted in violence and threats against health workers.
"Tactics targeting physicians — both in person and online — have included misogynistic and racist bullying, stalking, even death threats," the Canadian Medical Association has <a href="https://www.cma.ca/news/what-new-anti-harassment-law-means-doctors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.qpbriefing.com/2021/11/24/health-experts-call-for-more-protections-from-threats/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Health experts call for more protections from threats</a>
In a CUPE <a href="https://www.qpbriefing.com/2022/07/05/cupe-presses-new-health-minister-to-do-more-on-health-worker-violence/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">survey of its health-care membership released this summer</a>, nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) of all health-care workers said patients were physically violent toward them. And 71 per cent of racialized workers said they've been abused because of their race or appearance. A majority (53 per cent) said violence increased during the pandemic.
Police are asking anyone with information about Mertzelos' location to call them.

Ottawa police charge Windsor man with intimidating a health-care worker under new law

Read this for free.