Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for Parry-Sound and Muskoka, Graydon Smith, says the doors to his office are closed. On Monday, the MPP announced the closure of his constituency office via social media. He said the decision was made after a constituent showed “threatening and hostile behaviour” toward a staff member while she was working alone. “A constituent came to the office and loudly berated her over his opposition to our government’s bike lane policy in Toronto,” Smith said in his social media post. “He told this young woman that she was “going to die” as a result of climate change and said he would be “happy” if people get struck and killed by cars," he added. Earlier this month, the provincial government began removing bike lanes from major Toronto streets, with the aim of reducing traffic congestion. In the following days, many have been arrested while protesting the bike lane removal. “Disagreement with government policy is part of democracy,” Smith said in his post, adding “threatening and intimidating staff is not.” “This behaviour is appalling and inexcusable,” he said. In his post, Smith said provincial police had been notified of the incident. “My staff work hard to help people across our community, they deserve to feel safe at work, and I will not tolerate anyone treating them this way,” he said. According to the social media post, Smith intends to open the office back up on Tuesday.
