Man charged after alleged hoax call to B.C. care home that recorded Canada's 1st COVID-19 death

A charge has been laid against a man who allegedly made a hoax call in March to a care home at the centre of one of B.C.'s largest COVID-19 outbreaks.

Officials at the Lynn Valley Care Centre in North Vancouver, B.C., said they received a call in the early hours of March 8 — the day the centre recorded Canada's first COVID-19 death — from someone who claimed to be a health officer. 

The caller allegedly exaggerated the number of people who had tested positive in the centre and said the facility had to shut down.

The caller also warned residents and staff on site not to leave, and said the next shift of staff members shouldn't come in. 

The centre said the call spawned "needless fear" among residents, their families and staff, and diverted time and resources from patient care.

Officials learned the following day that the call was a hoax.

Taymour Aghtai was charged last Friday with one count of conveying a false message with the intent to alarm.

Police had previously arrested Aghtai but released him as they continued their investigation.

Sgt. Peter DeVries of the North Vancouver RCMP said Wednesday that police recommended one charge against Aghtai.

He said police are still investigating and that police are open to receiving more information from the public.

Court records show Aghtai was born in 1994 and goes by a number of aliases, including Shawn Emerson, Paul Durand and Jonathan Green.

He is scheduled to appear Thursday in North Vancouver provincial court.