MLA warned of legal action over social media post on N.S. woman’s hospital death
Global News
Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin told reporters she was advised to take down a letter on her Facebook page that she wrote to Health Minister Michelle Thompson.
A Nova Scotia politician has been threatened with legal action after she publicly posted a letter with information about a woman who died in hospital after a seven-hour wait for a doctor.
Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin, the Independent member for Cumberland North, told reporters Monday she was advised to take down a letter on her Facebook page that she wrote to Health Minister Michelle Thompson.
In the letter, Smith-McCrossin names 37-year-old Allison Holthoff and describes her as a wife and mother of three who died at the Cumberland Regional Health Centre on Dec. 31.
The Justice Department warned Smith-McCrossin in an email Jan. 6 that the government would consider “all available legal options” if personal health information continues to be disseminated online.
Smith-McCrossin has refused to remove the post and has said she was doing her job advocating for a constituent.
Holthoff’s widower, Gunter Holthoff, has told his wife’s story to several media outlets and provided specific details of her final hours in hospital.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 10, 2023.