Manitoba's Chief Public Health Officer and his family have been receiving troubling messages and threats.

Throughout the pandemic, especially in the Third Wave, Dr. Brent Roussin has been receiving alarming messages.

"It's not just a single occasion," Roussin says. "To get a call from law enforcement when at the time I wasn't at home but my family was, it's a little bit concerning... I don't think that any of us can legitimately accept that threats against someone or their family are acceptable no matter how much you disagree with some of the protections."

Lower-level threats, such as messages in emails, happen almost daily or weekly for the doctor, but he has needed the authority's help to keep him and his family safe on more than one occasion. He says suspicious activity has been happening at his family home but did not go into detail.

"During this third wave things have been stretching out, so I've been getting more and more severe ones that have been reported to me that people have seen in social media that have had some law enforcement involvement in it so it's troubling to see that."

As the weeks go on, he has been receiving more and more severe threats. 

"I think that this pandemic has been difficult on all Manitobans. Manitobans have lost loved ones to COVID, they've lost their loved ones to other causes and not been able to mourn the way they've wanted to, we've had businesses shut down, maybe never to open again, our kids have missed out on a number of opportunities, so I think it's been really challenging and I just think that putting Manitoban against Manitoban isn't our way out."

Roussin is hoping that as restrictions ease the threats will too.

Manitoba's Chief Justice, Glen Joyal, told courts Monday morning during a hearing with seven rural Manitoba churches that he was being followed by a private investigator, including at his home, and authorities are investigating. After a break, a lawyer with Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms told the court that the organizations he was representing were behind this, looking to see if Joyal was breaking any health orders. They have also hired investigators to watch other public officials, saying it is unrelated to this hearing.

Roussin says he has not necessarily been followed, with the threats being the larger issue for him.