Fecal matter, threats and vandalism: Ontario’s College of Physicians and Surgeons details abuse | Globalnews.ca

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.

The CPSO says it needs the provincial Ministry of Health to step in to adjust legislation that would allow it to deal effectively with complaints against these doctors.

So far, the Ministry of Health has refused. Global News emailed the Ministry four times to ask for comment on the CPSO’s move and whether it might now consider intervention. None of those emails were answered.

Meanwhile, the doctors under investigation for their commentary and conduct relating to the vaccines continue to share disinformation without recourse.

Two Canadian physicians are the major promoters of the dead doctor theory: William Makis, from Alberta, whose medical licence is inactive, and Ontario doctor Mark Trozzi, whose medical licence has been suspended.

Makis, who claims to be assembling the list of doctors himself, vehemently denies that he has claimed that the vaccine was the cause of the doctors’ deaths, saying instead: “I suspect that COVID-19 vaccines may have played a role in their deaths.”

Both doctors have been critical of the CPSO.

Trozzi has been fighting legal proceedings brought by the CPSO since late last year that accuse him of failing to comply with investigations into allegations that he issued false medical exemptions for the COVID-19 vaccine and his “misleading, incorrect or inflammatory statements” about vaccinations.

In November, Trozzi appeared alongside two other Ontario doctors during an online Ontario Physicians and Surgeons Disciplinary Tribunal in which all three were attempting to have allegations against them thrown out. The YouTube audience was more than 2,000 people.

On Thursday, the Tribunal dismissed the motion and said that hearings for all three would now be set.

In November, Makis appeared in a viral video interview, falsely claiming the College had suggested unvaccinated patients had a “mental problem” and that they should take psychiatric medication.

By his own admission, this wasn’t true; Makis told Global News his interview was based on an old COVID FAQ on the CPSO website that said physicians should work with patients to manage anxieties related to the vaccine and “in cases of serious concern,” prescription medication or referral to psychotherapy were options. The page was updated in October to include more specific wording.

But the damage was already done. The CPSO says it received about 6,000 abusive messages and death threats in little over a week and had to call the police as the emails and phone calls grew more grotesque and heated in their murderous tones.

“Your failures have been cataclysmic to civilization. You destroyed (sic) everything on a fake quest. It is too late now, and you should really start settling all your affairs,” read one email.

“You better hope that it’s the military that politely removes you from your homes. All the other scenarios are even worse for you,” said another.

Makis rejects the idea that there is any connection between his videos and the CPSO’s barring of the public.

“It is my experience that the vast majority of the public responses agreed with my assessment of CPSO’s problematic instructions to Ontario doctors,” he told Global News.

“I do not and have never condoned any acts of violence.”

On average, the College says it receives up to 200 emails a month consisting of serious threats against staff and council members.

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In early 2022, as part of another investigation on doctors spreading disinformation, the CPSO told Global News that it had been asking the Ministry of Health for legislative changes since 2019 to address complaints.

At the time, then-Ontario health minister Christine Elliott labelled the situation “extremely concerning” and publicly called on the CPSO to crack down on its members, announcing she would be sending them a letter “urging them to do everything that is possible to put an end to this behaviour.”

In reply, CPSO registrar and CEO Nancy Whitmore wrote to Elliott: “Since 2019 — and every year since — the CPSO sought the support of government for greater discretion to investigate complaints, as well as process improvements to streamline the handling of complaints.”

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Almost a year later, Global News asked both organizations what further communication they had shared with each other on this topic. Neither answered the question.

“The ministry continues to work with the CPSO and all health regulatory colleges to identify any changes that may improve the oversight of the regulated health officials,” a Ministry of Health spokesperson said.

“The CPSO has sought support from government over the last few years to streamline the complaints process and allow the College to more efficiently and effectively address concerns that come to our attention. We continue to work closely with the Ministry and with Minister Jones directly on a range of issues,” a CPSO spokesman said.