Woolwich man arrested for alleged death threats to local MP

Waterloo regional police allege a man threatened death against a local member of parliament.

Members of the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) General Investigations Unit have charged a 44-year-old Woolwich man with uttering threats to cause death.

Regional police were contacted by the office of a local MP Thursday reporting online threats against them. As a result of the investigation, police located, arrested and charged a man from Woolwich Township Friday.

At this point, CTV News cannot confirm which MP the threats are believed to have targeted.

Former Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and CTV Public Safety Analyst Chris Lewis says threats like these aren’t uncommon, adding that online harassment, hate and threats toward politicians has been going on for decades.

"Back when I was commissioner, we started a unit then because of an increase of threats against provincial members of parliament," said Lewis."We put a unit together actually providing security in certain instances and to investigate threats and keep intelligence database on that so all that will be occurring as we speak."

He adds that, while the particular incident was handled appropriately by local police, it poses a concern, as there has been a noticeable uptick of threats and intimidating incidents in Ontario

"It's always been an issue, it's just until the last several years [there’s been] a lot of it because of some of the right wing and left wing extremists out there on the other side of border,” said Lewis. “A lot of that has bled into Canada and in fact, it has increased."

CTV News reached out to local MP’s in the area, but received no responses except for Kitchener Centre MP Mike Morrice.

While he was not involved in the incident, in a statement he says in part, “I’m really concerned by this, and my thoughts are with the MP and their family. As these incidents increase, I think it underscores the importance of all political parties turning down divisive rhetoric that whips up anger, focusing instead on respectful dialogue and a search for common ground.”

Police say it’s important for local MP’s to continue to have a long-established protocol when meeting with constituents or setting up gatherings in public spaces.

Regional police are advising members of parliament to assess their offices and encourage them to install alarms, camera and other security measures as necessary.