Police in Ottawa say they have charged one person with uttering threats against Ontario Children and Social Services Minister Lisa MacLeod, prompting her to avoid the public amid protests over her changes to the provincial autism support program.
Ottawa police say that a person, who Premier Doug Ford’s office believes is a woman, was charged with three counts of uttering threats and one count of criminal harassment on Wednesday.
The suspect appeared in an Ottawa courtroom on Thursday. Police would not say whether the threats were made online or in person.
The Premier’s Office says the threats were made over the phone and in person.
MacLeod and the PC government recently reformed the provincial autism support program, angering many parents of children living with autism.
Several hundred parents marched on Queen’s Park on Thursday afternoon, demanding changes to the program.
Under the changes, families making up to $55,000 per year can receive $20,000 per child under the age of six and $5,000 each year thereafter.
But funding is attached to a scale that shrinks corresponding to family income up to $250,000 per year.
Parents of children with autism say the new arrangement will provide them with only a small fraction of what it costs to enroll a child in comprehensive treatment.
MacLeod says the changes were necessary to clear 23,000 children off a waiting list for funding.
It was also revealed last month that MacLeod ordered autism therapy providers in late 2018 to only take on new children where a commitment had already been made to help them, prompting critics to say she effectively “froze” the waiting list, an accusation she denies.
So far the Premier’s Office has said it is not making any changes to the program in light of the criticism or protests.
MacLeod said Wednesday she would not make herself available to the public due to threats to her safety.
The Premier’s Office says she has been given an OPP security detail in light of recent events.
