Communication breakdown: CPSO blames new tech system for delay in alerting Ottawa physician to death threat

A threatening, hate-filled letter that smeared an Ottawa physician as a “Nazi slut” and concluded that killing her would be legal under Canadian and international laws came to the targetted doctor’s attention as a complaint form from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, 12 days after the college received the letter. “They sent it to me as though it was an actual patient complaint, with the notation that they would get back to me within 30 days,” said Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth, a well-known family physician in Ottawa who writes about health policy and politics and who held five COVID vaccine “jabapaloozas” this past summer. In an email response to questions about its handling of this case, the CPSO said a new technology system at the college “caused a delay in receiving the information in Dr. Kaplan-Myrth’s case.” “The CPSO always notifies anyone, physician member or staff, named in a perceived or blatant threat, as soon as we are made aware,” wrote the CPSO. “Physicians who are the recipients of a threat are encouraged to notify their local police service; the CPSO has and will continue to cooperate with any police investigation that may be conducted as a result of the information the CPSO received.” The “complaint”–which Dr. Kaplan-Myrth said was not from any of her patients– turned out to be “several pages long of crazy conspiracy stuff” that the college had received days before it emailed Dr. Kaplan-Myrth, asking her to contact the CPSO. “To notify me on a form letter used for dealing with complaints–it’s absurd,” said Dr. Kaplan-Myrth. “First of all, they should have immediately written back to me to say, ‘don’t worry, this isn’t being treated as an actual complaint’ and they should have apologized for not telling me about it sooner.” Read: Death threats: A line that has been crossed Dr. Kaplan-Myrth isn’t the only one being threatened in the letter. It’s author–whose name the CPSO shared with Dr. Kaplan-Myrth–also wrote that it would be legal to kill “you College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, if you side with her barbarian pseudoscientific ass.” Dr. Kaplan-Myrth did reach out to Ottawa police but had to wait four days before getting a response. Media relations for the Ottawa Police Service declined to comment on why it took so long to respond to Dr. Kaplan-Myrth’s call for help, and on what the force is doing now to address the case. “The Ottawa Police Service can’t confirm or deny the existence of an ongoing investigation of a named person,” wrote Constable Martin Dompierre in an email to The Medical Post. “The Ottawa Police encourage any victim of crime to report them immediately. If you feel your life is in imminent danger, call 911. If you are unsure, you can call 613-236-1222 and speak to a Police communicator that can help you assess the situation and determine if immediate police assistance is required.” Read: From household name to public punching bag: How vocal physicians persist against harassment Dr. Kaplan-Myrth said the Ottawa police and her lawyer have “done a bit of poking around” and believe the letter writer could be someone based in the area, or perhaps in a nearby Quebec community. “We can’t know for certain without more forensic evidence,” said Dr. Kaplan-Myrth. “As far as I know, the police don’t have the (Internet protocol) address of where the letter was sent from.” The CPSO has “not been forthcoming” with information, she added, “and they won’t tell us if this person also has threatened other people.” Public disclosure about threats to other doctors is important, said Dr. Kaplan-Myrth, so that the medical community and other people advocating for vaccines can take measures to protect themselves. “This isn’t an isolated event,” she said. “I’m a particularly outspoken physician but I’m not the only one who’s out there advocating for safety measures and vaccines. It’s not acceptable that nobody has our backs at the end.” Read: Ontario clinic shuts down after emailed shooting threat

Communication breakdown: CPSO blames new tech system for delay in alerting Ottawa physician to death threat

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