North Kawartha Health Centre in Apsley closed due to shooting threats made against staff

The North Kawartha Health Centre in the village of Apsley, Ont., is closed following reported threats made against a physician and staff.

Global News Peterborough has obtained a copy of the email the clinic sent out to patients on Monday morning. The email states a “certain individual has made specific threats of shooting at the clinic and causing bodily harm” to family physician Dr. Paul Hasson and his staff at the building on Burleigh Street. Apsley is located 60 kilometres north of Peterborough.

“We deeply regret our careful decision to close the clinic for in-person appointments as we have grave concerns for safety of not only Dr. Hasson and his staff but potentially to any patient(s) that may be present in the clinic should the person decide to carry out their threats,” the email reads.

“Police have investigated the threats and after making a brief arrest, they have subsequently released this disturbed individual in the community with only a restraining order. We take everyone’s safety with the utmost care and deem it to be reckless to continue ignoring these threats that have been made multiple times.”

A timeline for when the clinic may reopen was not provided.

Signage on the building on Monday afternoon stated no walk-ins were permitted. A call to the clinic on Monday got a voicemail stating the clinic is “closed for an emergency.”

The email also encourages those concerned to contact the Peterborough Police Service to emphasize the impact of the clinic’s closure.

However, the clinic is in the jurisdiction of Peterborough County OPP.

OPP Const. Joe Ayotte says they are aware of the incident but says city police are investigating the threat complaint since the alleged incident occurred in the city.

Global News has reached out to the Peterborough Police Service and Hasson for further comment.

In a news release issued at 4:15 p.m., city police said it initially investigated an incident on June 3 of threats made against staff at a medical clinic in Peterborough.

A 57-year-old North Kawartha Township woman was arrested that day and charged with two counts of uttering threats to cause death of bodily harm. She was released on an undertaking with a future court date, police said.

Police said further investigation has revealed the same woman allegedly made threats against the Apsley clinic and to medical staff in the city.

On June 15 she was additionally charged with four counts of uttering threats. She was arrested by OPP and appeared in court the same day and was released on bail. Her name was not released.

“Peterborough Police Service has responded to the complaints and are not ignoring the threats as indicated in the letter being circulated,” police stated Monday. “Peterborough Police also asked that the accused in these matters NOT be given bail.”

The investigation continues, police noted.

Hasson, who opened his practice in Apsley in 2018, has publicly raised security concerns in the past, most recently in January when he wrote a letter to North Kawartha Township to request security cameras be added to the building, which is owned by the township. He said in 2020 his life and his staff were “threatened by a former patient.”

“I believe that security cameras will ensure that I am safe at all times while entering and leaving the Center,” he wrote on Jan. 22. “It will also allow for the monitoring of any suspicious activity around the Center.”

His lawyer Corey Willard with the Canadian Medical Protective Association added additional details in a letter to the township while also urging security cameras be added. He said Hasson was threatened by a former patient in October 2020.

“His vehicle was also recently vandalized while in the parking lot of the clinic located at 183 Burleigh Street in Apsley,” Willard also wrote on Jan. 22. “I have been assisting him in ensuring he remains safe while at work. Physicians in medical clinics in smaller centres are particularly at risk as they are not afforded with the same protections as physicians who work in hospitals for example. As you may be aware, a physician was killed at his clinic in Alberta last summer.”

On Jan. 27, township council approved the installation of two security cameras following a  recommendation from the township’s chief administrative officer.

“Given that the tenants in the NKHC sometimes work late hours and weekends, and that municipal custodial employees clean the facility and perform maintenance outside of regular business hours, security cameras would be considered an appropriate measure to protect the health and safety of our tenants and employees as well as the protection of municipal property,” said CAO Alana Solman.

— More to come.