Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth never thought this would be part of the story that is the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.
The online hate and harassment she and her colleagues have received over the last 20 months has been distressing, and it reached a tipping point for the Ottawa-based family doctor last week.
On Nov. 1, Kaplan-Myrth said she received an emailed letter disguised as a complaint to Ontario’s physicians’ regulator. In it, was a threat. She said the sender threatened to kill her for her work vaccinating her patients and advocating for inoculation.
“When the pandemic first started, we were worried about whether or not we would live because we feared we would get COVID just doing our work,” Kaplan-Myrth told Global News, adding she’s felt pride for getting so many vaccinated throughout the pandemic.
But that “relief then gets sort of crushed by this horrible feeling that there’s somebody out there … sending a letter saying that I should be killed.”
Kaplan-Myrth is among a number of Canadian doctors facing continuous hate and harassment online, stemming from COVID-19 and vaccine advocacy. Many are calling on governments to increase protection for health-care workers.
Dr. Naheed Dosani, a palliative care physician in Toronto, told Global News he has been the target of racist attacks online. He’s noticed the messages have become more vitriolic as policies, like Ontario’s recent decision to not mandate vaccination for health-care workers, have come into effect. The mandate was something Dosani had been a vocal advocate for.
“I have to say that there is an association with the anti-vaccine movement and the racist comments and hatred that I receive,” he said.
“Being called racial slurs, being told that I need to watch my back … This isn’t fair, because if this happens to any health worker, it means that our entire industry, our entire sector, is at risk.”
2:00 Canada announces multi-faceted approach to combat online hate speech, crime with Bill C-36
Canada announces multi-faceted approach to combat online hate speech, crime with Bill C-36 – Jun 23, 2021
In Brighton, Ont., Dr. Michelle Cohen told Global News she has had to change her notification settings on social media to avoid seeing hateful messages.
“I’ve had some very nasty trolling, just repeated comments about, ‘How are you a doctor? I feel so sorry for your patients, you must be doing things that are terrible, you’re a horrible person,’ and there are lot of misogynistic and antisemitic smears, in particular, that are targeted to me personally,” she said.
“And then there are vague threats like, ‘You’re going to be punished.’ (There’s a) misunderstanding of the history around the Nuremberg trials. A lot of threats like, ‘You’re going to be first against the wall when the Nuremberg trials restart,’ and those sorts of vague kind of threats.”
In Whitehorse, Yukon, pediatrician Dr. Katharine Smart, who is also president of the Canadian Medical Association, told Global News she feels the majority of Canadians still see them as health-care heroes, but the vocal minority is “distressing.”
“I’ve received multiple messages … both on Twitter and Instagram, calling me names, accusing me of harming people, threatening me, and of course, this generally relates to tweets or Instagram posts that promote vaccination,” she said.
“That’s again, unfortunately, what brings that anti-vax movement out – when you’re out there trying to educate the public, trying to provide accurate information, and then these people come out in droves and it can be quite relentless at times and it’s very distressing.”
3:41 Dr. Bonnie Henry on hearing crowds chant ‘lock her up’ at anti-vaccine passport rally
Dr. Bonnie Henry on hearing crowds chant ‘lock her up’ at anti-vaccine passport rally – Sep 2, 2021
Smart and other doctors are calling on governments to introduce legislation that protects health-care workers from harm.
After his summer re-election, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters in September that among the priorities for his new minority government is to bring in laws to protect health-care workers from harassment and intimidation through changes to the criminal code.
The promise came after rallies were held outside several Canadian hospitals on Sept. 13 by supporters of a group called Canadian Frontline Nurses, which organized the protests to stand up to the “tyrannical measures and government overreach” of the most recent public health measures including vaccine passports.
Some of the protests attempted to block entry to hospitals, putting both the employees and patients at risk.
Provinces have made promises similar to Trudeau’s — both the Ontario NDP and Liberals introduced bills to create safety zones around institutions such as hospitals to protect them from anti-vaccine harassment, and Nova Scotia recently passed legislation to establish a 50-metre “safe access bubble” around hospitals and other facilities, such as doctors’ offices, where protests won’t be permitted.
Moreover, several officials spoke out against the Sept. 13 demonstrations, including Ontario Premier Doug Ford who called the protesters “selfish, cowardly and reckless” in a tweet the day before.
That same month, British Columbia Premier John Horgan said protesters demonstrating outside hospitals weren’t welcome.
The doctors who spoke to Global News said they appreciate the support and intention from governments to protect health-care workers, but that it’s time for action — now.
“We need clear messaging from governments that any harassment or bullying of health-care professionals or anyone is unacceptable,” Smart said.
“We’ve seen some talk about legislation to make these things illegal, and I think that needs to move forward. We need safe zones around hospitals, but we also need clear legislation saying that online harassment and bullying is not acceptable in this country and it will not be tolerated.”
9:56 Canadian government needs to take action on online hate, says expert
Canadian government needs to take action on online hate, says expert – Jun 13, 2021
To avoid seeing hateful messages, Kaplan-Myrth says she no longer allows people to comment on her Twitter page unless she follows them.
She also said she’s grateful to her colleagues for the support she’s receiving.
“We’re not going to stop advocating. I’m certainly not going to stop immunizing my patients, I’m not going to be cowering from bullies but I am exhausted and scared and that’s not OK,” she said.
“What I should be feeling is hope because we’ve got the vaccine, we’re going to be able to immunize kids soon, and it’s going to be the next step towards ending this pandemic.”
NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — Maria Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam singles champion, led the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan vote her first year on the ballot — an important part to possible selection to the hall’s next class.
The organization released the voting results Friday. American doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan finished second with Canada’s Daniel Nestor third.
The Hall of Fame said tens of thousands of fans from 120 countries cast ballots. Fan voting is one of two steps in the hall’s selection process. The second is an official group of journalists, historians, and Hall of Famers from the sport who vote on the ballot for the hall’s class of 2025.
“I am incredibly grateful to the fans all around the world who supported me during the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan votes,” Sharapova said in a statement. “It is a tremendous honor to be considered for the Hall of Fame, and having the fans’ support makes it all the more special.”
Sharapova became the first Russian woman to reach No. 1 in the world. She won Wimbledon in 2004, the U.S. Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008. She also won the French Open twice, in 2012 and 2014.
Sharapova was also part of Russia’s championship Fed Cup team in 2008 and won a silver medal at the London Olympics in 2012.
To make the hall, candidates must receive 75% or higher on combined results of the official voting group and additional percentage from the fan vote. Sharapova will have an additional three percentage points from winning the fan vote.
The Bryans, who won 16 Grand Slam doubles titles, will have two additional percentage points and Nestor, who won eight Grand Slam doubles titles, will get one extra percentage point.
The hall’s next class will be announced late next month.
CHICAGO (AP) — United Airlines has struck a deal with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to offer satellite-based Starlink WiFi service on flights within the next several years.
The airline said Friday the service will be free to passengers.
United said it will begin testing the service early next year and begin offering it on some flights by later in 2025.
Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
The announcement comes as airlines rush to offer more amenities as a way to stand out when passengers pick a carrier for a trip. United’s goal is to make sitting on a plane pretty much like being on the ground when it comes to browsing the internet, streaming entertainment and playing games.
“Everything you can do on the ground, you’ll soon be able to do on board a United plane at 35,000 feet, just about anywhere in the world,” CEO Scott Kirby said in announcing the deal.
The airline says Starlink will allow passengers to get internet access even over oceans and polar regions where traditional cell or Wi-Fi signals may be weak or missing.
TORONTO – Roots Corp. may have built its brand on all things comfy and cosy, but its CEO says activewear is now “really becoming a core part” of the brand.
The category, which at Roots spans leggings, tracksuits, sports bras and bike shorts, has seen such sustained double-digit growth that Meghan Roach plans to make it a key part of the business’ future.
“It’s an area … you will see us continue to expand upon,” she told analysts on a Friday call.
The Toronto-based retailer’s push into activewear has taken shape over many years and included several turns as the official designer and supplier of Team Canada’s Olympic uniform.
But consumers have had plenty of choice when it comes to workout gear and other apparel suited to their sporting needs. On top of the slew of athletic brands like Nike and Adidas, shoppers have also gravitated toward Lululemon Athletica Inc., Alo and Vuori, ramping up competition in the activewear category.
Roach feels Roots’ toehold in the category stems from the fit, feel and following its merchandise has cultivated.
“Our product really resonates with (shoppers) because you can wear it through multiple different use cases and occasions,” she said.
“We’ve been seeing customers come back again and again for some of these core products in our activewear collection.”
Her remarks came the same day as Roots revealed it lost $5.2 million in its latest quarter compared with a loss of $5.3 million in the same quarter last year.
The company said the second-quarter loss amounted to 13 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Aug. 3, the same as a year earlier.
In presenting the results, Roach reminded analysts that the first half of the year is usually “seasonally small,” representing just 30 per cent of the company’s annual sales.
Sales for the second quarter totalled $47.7 million, down from $49.4 million in the same quarter last year.
The move lower came as direct-to-consumer sales amounted to $36.4 million, down from $37.1 million a year earlier, as comparable sales edged down 0.2 per cent.
The numbers reflect the fact that Roots continued to grapple with inventory challenges in the company’s Cooper fleece line that first cropped up in its previous quarter.
Roots recently began to use artificial intelligence to assist with daily inventory replenishments and said more tools helping with allocation will go live in the next quarter.
Beyond that time period, the company intends to keep exploring AI and renovate more of its stores.
It will also re-evaluate its design ranks.
Roots announced Friday that chief product officer Karuna Scheinfeld has stepped down.
Rather than fill the role, the company plans to hire senior level design talent with international experience in the outdoor and activewear sectors who will take on tasks previously done by the chief product officer.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
