The Nova Scotia government introduced legislative amendments Thursday to ban protests outside the homes of senior health officials and protect them from harassment and intimidation.
After anti-maskers demonstrated for three straight days outside the home of the province’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Robert Strang, in suburban Halifax, Nova Scotia on Thursday proposed amendments to its Privacy Act. access to health services. These establish a safety zone of 50 meters around the private residences of provincial health officials.
“Nova Scotians have the right to protest, but protesters cannot be allowed to harass, intimidate or stalk people in their homes. This is unacceptable,” Justice Minister Brad Johns said in a statement Thursday afternoon.
“This law protects people who make important public health decisions on behalf of all Nova Scotians and their families,” he added.
The legislation, passed last fall, guaranteed patients and health service providers access to health services and health service facilities. Under recent amendments, the definition of these will also include the private residences of health service providers. Senior managers and other executive decision-makers in the health sector will now fall into this category.
These amendments will come into force upon Royal Assent.
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