Man arrested for threatening N.L. health minister about mask mandate
Posted Dec 8, 2021 09:32:06 PM.
GANDER, N.L. — A 64-year-old man was arrested Tuesday for threatening Newfoundland and Labrador’s health minister at his home over pandemic mask rules, police said.
RCMP in Gander, N.L., received a report at about 6:15 p.m. Tuesday about an “unknown man” who had shown up at Health Minister John Haggie’s house “yelling and threatening physical harm,” a release said Wednesday.
The threats were related to provincial public health rules requiring everyone older than five to wear a mask in public indoor settings, police said.
Police arrested the man for uttering threats and released him on multiple conditions, the release says. He is scheduled to appear in court at a later date.
In a statement emailed Wednesday, Haggie thanked police and said it was inappropriate to make further comments, as the matter is before the courts. He is the provincial legislature member for the Gander district.
Meanwhile, health officials in the province reported five new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. Nearly 30 per cent of children in the province aged five to 11 have now had a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and more than 91 per cent of residents aged 12 and older are now fully vaccinated, data shows.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 8, 2021.
The Canadian Press
