Two charged following protests outside home of N.S. top doctor (update)

Two people are facing charges after protests were held outside of a home in Fall River three days in a row.

Late Tuesday, Halifax Regional Police issued a news release saying they had arrested a man and woman on Pleasant Street in the Woodside area “in relation to offences that occurred in the RCMP territory involving a prominent health official earlier this week.”

Dr. Robert Strang has not been identified by HRP or RCMP as the target of those protests, however, the chief medical officer of health has publicly stated a protest took place outside of his home earlier this week, and he received prank phone calls in the middle of the night. On Monday, Premier Tim Houston called the incidents “completely inappropriate“. 

RCMP now say they responded to complaints at the same home on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. 

Mounties had to block off the area. They say the demonstrations lasted a few hours and protesters left on their own.

While Tuesday's demonstration was taking place in Fall River, HRP arrested the man and woman on Pleasant Street “as part of an ongoing investigation into activity associated with the protests.”

RCMP say once the protesters outside the home found out the pair were in custody, they left.

Jeremy Mitchell MacKenzie, 36, of Pictou and Morgan May Guptill, 31, of Cole Harbour, have been charged with criminal harassment, mischief, harassing phone calls and intimidation of a health professional. 

Both MacKenzie and Guptill were held in custody overnight and will be appearing in Dartmouth Provincial Court today.