Dr. Joss Reimer not aware of being followed but says threats are 'part of the job'

The head of Manitoba's COVID-19 vaccine task force says threats and criticisms are almost a daily occurrence but as far as she knows, she has not been followed by a private investigator.

Dr. Joss Reimer is disturbed by Court of Queen's Bench Chief Justice Glenn Joyal's revelation that he has been tailed by an investigator trying to catch him breaching COVID-19 health orders.

"It's uncomfortable to think that somebody might be hiring private investigators to follow public figures. Obviously nobody on our team was comfortable with that story, that's for sure," she told CBC Information Radio guest host Faith Fundal on Tuesday.

Reimer, who is often on live broadcasts of vaccination updates for Manitoba, said she has had to learn to adjust to being a target of some ire.

"Threats are, unfortunately, a part of the job. I mean, we get them really regularly. Most days somebody has got something to say," she said.

"I'm really thankful that I'm not experiencing the same level that, say, Bonnie Henry is experiencing in B.C., but definitely it's something that happens."

Reimer says people sometimes threaten her or the vaccine task force with violence because of misinformation about the effects of vaccines, but says many don't seem like threats people would actually follow through on.

Manitoba Chief Provincial Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin said at a news conference Monday that he also doesn't know if he's been followed, but he and his family have received numerous threats over the course of the pandemic. 

"There's no question it's been worse for him than it has been for me," Reimer said. "I think people feel very frustrated about the orders, more so than the vaccine rollout."

CBC News has asked other officials who are public faces of the COVID-19 fight in Manitoba about whether they have been followed.

Justice Minister Cameron Friesen says there have been similar attempts to watch Premier Brian Pallister.

"We are at this time working to ascertain if there were additional individuals who were being followed or monitored in similar ways who are elected officials," he said at a press conference on Tuesday.

"If this was done to intimidate, it is uncharted waters for us. We need this kind of behaviour to cease."

A spokesperson from the province said Dr. Jazz Atwal, deputy chief provincial public health officer, said Tuesday that he is not aware of being followed.

A Shared Health spokesperson said Chief Nursing Officer Lanette Siragusa has not experienced any security concerns nor observed any suspicious activity, and the spokesperson wasn't aware of any incidents occurring with members of Shared Health's executive team or clinical leads.

Judge followed

Chief Justice Glenn Joyal revealed Monday morning that he was being followed by someone attempting to catch him breaking the province's restrictions and use it to embarrass or discredit him.

Joyal is currently presiding over a court case brought forward by seven rural Manitoba churches challenging the public health restrictions.

During Monday's hearing for the case, Joyal revealed he was followed by a vehicle on July 8 when leaving the Manitoba law courts building in downtown Winnipeg and driving around the city.  

The private investigator even followed him to his home and to his cottage, Joyal said.

In a statement sent to CBC News on Tuesday, Federal Justice Minister David Lametti condemned the actions taken against Joyal.

"Any effort to intimidate a judge is not acceptable in a free and democratic society such as Canada," he wrote.

"Our judiciary is one of Canada's most-trusted institutions and its ability to work independent from interference is central to the rule of law in our country. I want to commend Justice Joyal for his courage and integrity in bringing to light these events."

Justice Centre boss takes leave

John Carpay, head of the Calgary-based Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, which is representing the seven Manitoba churches, said during a break in Monday's hearing that he hired the investigator.

He said he did not discuss the decision with Justice Centre clients, staff lawyers or members of the board.

On Tuesday, the Justice Centre's board released a statement saying Carpay is taking an indefinite leave from his responsibilities.

"Surveilling public officials is not what we do. We condemn what was done without reservation," the statement says.

"We apologize to Chief Justice Joyal for the alarm, disturbance, and violation of privacy. All such activity has ceased and will not reoccur in future."

The board said it only learned about Carpay's plan Monday and said if it had been advised, it would have "immediately brought it to an end."

In a statement posted on the JCCF website on Monday, Carpay said the decision to hire the investigator was intended to hold officials accountable as Canadians face "unprecedented restrictions on their charter-guaranteed freedoms."

Public officials need to be held to same standard but that isn't always the case, Carpay's post said, pointing a finger at Alberta Premier Jason Kenney's Sky Palace dinner last month.

"It was reported to the Justice Centre that Manitoba's leadership were similarly breaching public health regulations," Carpay said in the post, adding his decision to hire the investigator to follow Joyal was "in no way … intended to influence or impact the Justice Centre's litigation efforts, or any of our court cases."

Carpay has apologized to Joyal, calling his move an error in judgment, and said no other judges have been followed.

"With the integrity that we know him for, he has owned this mistake, openly, directly, and without reservation," the Justice Centre statement said on Tuesday.

The name of the private investigation firm has not been revealed by Carpay or the board.