Nova Scotia cabinet minister Kim Masland says she’s taking extra steps for her safety after police arrested a man who attempted to break into her home in Liverpool through the back door.
RCMP confirmed that a local man has been charged with trespassing at night and is set to appear in court later.
Masland mentioned on Friday that she wasn’t home when the man, wearing a camouflage hoodie, appeared just before midnight on February 26. She became aware of his presence quickly when her home security system sent an alert along with video footage to her cellphone.
“It’s very scary to click on a picture and see someone trying to get into your home,” said Masland, who serves as the province’s natural resources minister.
“To see someone actually violating my safe place, my home, it was very upsetting. I was extremely upset. Actually, I panicked and I didn’t even know what to do.”
At that moment, Masland was at her apartment in Halifax where she stays during legislative sessions. After calling 911, authorities arrested the man nearby.
She noted that this isn’t the first time she’s felt threatened as a politician. Six months ago, she received a menacing email from someone claiming they knew where she lived. There have also been several unsettling incidents at her constituency office.
“I grew up in the country in a little place called Caledonia, and we never locked our doors,” said Masland, who represents Queens riding in southwestern Nova Scotia. “Where I live now, I never locked my door until about two years ago.”
In addition, political tensions have been rising in Nova Scotia since the governing Progressive Conservatives presented a budget last month proposing $130 million in grant cuts affecting areas like scholarships, arts and sports programs as well as initiatives for Mi’kmaw, Black and Gaelic communities, climate change efforts, health care for seniors and youth among others.
The suggested cuts led to public outcry that resulted in several loud protests outside the legislature. Premier Tim Houston and some members of his cabinet faced jeers and heckling at various public gatherings.
The Speaker of the House, Danielle Barkhouse, also introduced temporary measures restricting public access to certain areas inside the legislature due to increasing safety concerns following a week filled with protest rallies.
“As most people know, emotions are running high here in the House,” Barkhouse stated last week.
This week earlier, Premier Houston rolled back some of those cuts while apologizing for making some wrong choices.
Masland chose not to speculate on why the man came near her residence but shared that both this incident and the threatening email have led her to take steps for greater personal security.
“I don’t go for walks at night by myself anymore,” she said while adding that many of her fellow politicians are doing likewise. “I try to have someone with me wherever I go … When I go to an event, I enter the room cautiously.”
Additionally, she observed a decline in civility during the pandemic which has worsened due to recent global issues.
“We have just so much uncertainty and worry right across the world,” she remarked. “And social media is a great place for people to be able to write whatever they want to write and say whatever they want to say.”
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