A man who said he planned on bombing every synagogue in Toronto to “to kill as many Jews as possible” was sentenced to house arrest Monday after a sentencing hearing that heard of the terror and fear his vivid threats caused.

Waisuddin Akbari, 41, was ordered to stay at home for 60 days, followed by three years of probation, after voicing clear, hate-filled threats last year.

The “light sentence” shows the urgent need to reform Canada’s hate crime laws, said Jaime Kirzner-Roberts, a director with the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies.

“At a time of rampant antisemitism in Canada and elsewhere, it sends an alarming message that threats to slaughter Jews and bomb synagogues may be met with leniency. That is extremely disappointing and profoundly unsettling for our community,” Kirzner-Roberts said after Akbari’s sentencing.

The court heard community impact statements from five Jewish community groups that outlined a deep sense of fear and despair as news of the threats spread.

“The result of the unprecedented rise in antisemitism has left a palpable dread hanging over the community. This atmosphere of despair is only amplified by the actions of Mr. Akbari,” Richard Robertson, a director with B’nai Brith Canada told court at the sentencing hearing.

“Jewish Canadians did not and do not feel safe in their own communities. The constant threat of attack has left members of the community in perpetual fear for their wellbeing and has led to members of the community questioning their future as Canadians.”

Edward Prutsch, judge at the Ontario Court of Justice in Newmarket, north of Toronto, defended his decision in his reasons for sentencing.

“It is important to be clear about what Mr. Akbari is — and is not — being sentenced for. He is not being sentenced for taking any material steps to act on the threats he made. There is no evidence before me of the collection of weapons, explosives, maps, planning or coordination.

“Indeed, following his arrest, police conducted extensive checks and searches on Mr. Akbari to ensure the safety of the community was not still at risk. Mr. Akbari’s guilt is based on empty threats he communicated to a stranger, mistakenly assuming (he) would be sympathetic to Akbari’s own warped and hateful worldview. There was no effort to publicize his threats beyond the conversation,” Prutschi wrote.

“That is not to say that the threats were harmless. Mr. Akbari’s threats were clearly motivated by bias, prejudice and hate towards Israelis and Jews. … Hate-based threats are not just words, they are the gasoline upon which even more serious offences burn. Where hate is normalized, harm follows.”

Prutschi acknowledged the “anxiety and concern” Akbari caused, writing: “It is impossible to overstate the sense of fear, anger, and frustration Mr. Akbari’s words have instilled in the broader Jewish community.”

The case began in March 2024.

Akbari was talking with a salesman at his BMW dealership while waiting for an oil change. He said he did not want to lease or finance a new car because he believed that Israel and the Jews controlled world events and benefited from interest payments on all car loans. He went on to outline his belief that Israel was plotting to exterminate anyone who was not Jewish. He said they deserve deadly punishment.

“Before I go, I want you to remember my name and remember my face,” Akbari concluded the conversation, according to evidence in court, “because the next time you see it, I’ll be on the news.”

“I know when I’m going to die because I’m going to plant a bomb in every synagogue in Toronto and blow them up to kill as many Jews as possible.”

The salesman asked if he was serious. Akbari replied, “Yes, I’m serious. I’ll make sure those attacks are filmed and posted online so the world can see what I’ve done.”

The salesman said he was rattled and fearful. The next day, he called the police to report the conversation. Akbari was charged with threatening to damage property and threatening death.

In court at Akbari’s trial last year, the salesman testified: “Based on the seriousness in his tone, I didn’t think for a second he was joking.”

Akbari was found guilty after a trial. He was sentenced Monday.

Akbari was born in Afghanistan and moved to Pakistan when he was around six or seven years old. He stayed in Pakistan for seven to eight years before moving to Moscow, Russia, and, in 2007, moving to Canada. He opened a shawarma restaurant and became a Canadian citizen.

Both Akbari and the car salesman are Muslims who grew up in Pakistan. The judge said that Akbari thought their shared background might give him a sense of comfort with voicing his diatribe.

At his trial, Akbari denied making statements about bombing synagogues or killing Jews. He said he didn’t even know what Judaism or a synagogue was until after his arrest.

The judge said at trial that Akbari’s commentary was “false, despicable and odious.”

Threatening offences can be considered criminal if the accused intended the threat to be taken seriously; it is not necessary to prove that he intended to follow through.

Crown prosecutors asked for a four-to-six-month jail sentence followed by three years of probation, DNA registration, and a weapons prohibition. Akbari’s lawyer asked for a conditional discharge, meaning a finding of guilt without jail time or criminal conviction.

Akbari spent four days in jail while awaiting bail after his arrest. He has a previous conviction from 2013 for impaired driving.

As factors in Akbari’s favour at sentencing, in his decision Prutschi spoke of Akbari’s hard life before coming to Canada, his work at his restaurant to support his wife and two teenaged children, and a network within the Ismaili Muslim community who sent letters saying they do not condone the hate-filled threats but will support his rehabilitation.

Akbari’s also lost his shawarma franchise.

He continued to deny he made the threats but expressed his opposition to antisemitism and violence.

“While a custodial sentence is required, the safety of the community is not endangered if Mr. Akbari were permitted to serve his sentence under strict conditions in the community. This will send the appropriate message both to him, and to others, that hateful threats against Jews and their institutions will be met by significant sanction,” Prutschi wrote.

He also ordered a 10-year weapons prohibition and that Akbari provide a sample of his DNA.

Alongside B’nai Brith Canada and the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, impact statements were made in court by the Toronto Board of Rabbis, Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, and the Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation.

Prutschi said there was “a terrible twist of irony” in the case.

“The attention his case has drawn has had a devastating impact on him and his family. In a terrible twist of irony, Mr. Akbari’s comment during the threats that he would ‘be on the news’ has come true in a way he certainly did not anticipate.”

• Email: ahumphreys@postmedia.com | Twitter: AD_Humphreys

• New survey finds people holding very negative opinions of Israel are more likely to be antisemitic
• Ontario students targeted by hundreds of antisemitic incidents, federal report finds

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.

Many staff inside the country’s leading mental health institution say they are suffering their own trauma from a toxic workplace rife with discrimination and bullying.

Anonymous employee feedback from health-care providers at Toronto’s

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH)

include widespread staff complaints about a work culture they say left them with mental health challenges including anxiety, depression and even suicidality.

When they attempt to address their grievances, many say they were met with retaliation and a lack of accountability.

“I would throw up before work,” one employee said. “I know no one would support me.”

Some staff blamed the workplace culture at CAMH for mental health challenges. “They make you doubt your sanity,” one respondent wrote.

Some respondents explicitly noted a gap between the hospital’s mental health mission and the psychological state of its employees.

“It is ironic that an organization that provides mental health support is so disconnected from the mental health of its staff,” said one respondent.

Another wrote: “The fact that the organization puts out statements about anti-racism that don’t align with what we experience internally, it’s a problem. They don’t walk the talk internally.”

CAMH, hailed as a leading international mental health voice that provides training on staff mental health to major employers in Canada, said it has reviewed the criticisms by staff and taken active steps to address them.

“I know this is what happens in workplaces — It is very different when you hear it from colleagues,” said CAMH equity director, Kwame McKenzie in an interview. “It’s very poignant. It’s very raw. It makes you think of the urgency that you need to do something different.”

The responses were gathered in 2021 and 2023 by an external consulting group and the hospital’s equity office respectively, and were obtained by the

Investigative Journalism Bureau

through freedom of information legislation.

The internal reviews, which unfolded during COVID and the emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement, are only the latest attempts to understand longstanding issues at CAMH.

Following a 2019 internal survey that raised concerns of racism, hospital administrators decided additional indepth interviews were needed to better understand the experience of employees. In 2021 and 2023, a total of about 2,000 employees — nearly half the hospital’s staff — took part in separate workplace reviews.

In 2021, a working group conducted in-depth interviews with 50 staff members representing a wide range of positions across the hospital that documented widespread allegations of harassment, bullying and intimidation.

Some employees described toxic workplace environments and traumatic encounters with colleagues and leadership that led to significant mental health challenges. “The story is consistent across participants — the themes are raw and clear,” the report concluded.

One respondent said they became suicidal after repeated bullying and exclusion: “I internalized how bad they made me feel about myself.”

The respondent pool included staff identifying as Black, white, First Nation, Asian and from other racial groups, and reflected a wide range of religious affiliations.

About 70 per cent of respondents expressed they experienced discrimination based on their racial and cultural background. One in eight reported feeling discrimination based on religion, and a third felt discrimination based on age.

CAMH has been recognized

multiple times by Mediacorp Canada on its annual list of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers.

Another key theme in the surveys is staff feeling unsupported by management after filing a grievance.

“We went to grievance and won. My manager did not want to fire him because they were friends.”

About half of participants said they didn’t know how to file a complaint, and 43 per cent said they would not refer colleagues to job opportunities at CAMH.

In 2023, CAMH followed up with a survey that was completed by 45 per cent of the hospital’s staff. The results continued to highlight equity concerns.

McKenzie, a psychiatrist and director of health equity at CAMH for more than a decade, commissioned the surveys to help the hospital collect concrete data to improve the workplace, he said. While he acknowledged the findings being made public could raise difficult questions, he said the hospital is committed to transparency and improvement.

“We wanted to do it because we wanted to find out what was… upsetting staff in order to try and create some solutions,” said McKenzie. “We are actually really proud of that fact, that we’re a sort of organization that has the courage to try to do it.”

Eight current and former CAMH nursing staff interviewed for this story described a culture that is often punitive and driven by blame.

Jacqueline Boyce, a current nurse at CAMH for more than two decades, wasn’t surprised by the findings. She said she’s witnessed countless alleged inequities firsthand and understands the deep mistrust many staff feel toward the organization, as well as the fear among nurses of speaking out. She said most remain silent out of fear.

“If you speak up, they can come after your job,” she said. “If you feel that’s a threat, you just stay calm, your voice becomes powerless and nothing is done.

“People, they take whatever’s handed out to them and shut up, right? Their safety is in being quiet.”

CAMH was an early adopter of the

National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace,

launched in 2013. It promotes a culture where staff are encouraged to report errors or concerns without fear of punishment.

But another current nurse, whose identity is being protected due to fears of retribution, said raising issues or defending her work frequently resulted in disciplinary meetings and veiled threats from leaders, leaving her feeling unsafe and anxious for her job.

“I would go home and just cry,” she said, her voice breaking as she recalled interactions with managers over the years. “How would you feel working in a mental institution and every time you come in you feel (you’re walking on) pins and needles. Would you be able to function in this environment?”

Many of the concerns raised by staff at CAMH are echoed by

health-care workers across Canada

who cite staff shortages, heavy workloads and safety concerns for increasing burnout, absences and high turnover.

But there are unique challenges for staff in mental health care who must manage both their own emotions and those of clients in extreme distress, said Kim Foster, a mental health nurse and researcher who has studied the well-being of the mental health clinical workforce in Australia.

“It’s difficult to provide psychological care if you yourself are not feeling psychologically safe,” said Foster. “We’re a mental health service. We should be practicing what we preach.”

But the challenges are often more deep-rooted than a few bad apples in management, she said.

“I do think managers get blamed for a lot of things that are perhaps not always their fault,” she said. “They themselves are often working in stressed, pressured environments. If you haven’t got managers who are experienced, or you have a culture in senior management that doesn’t support staff, that of course makes things difficult.”

Psychologist, N. Zoe Hilton, professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Toronto and research chair at the Waypoint Research Institute in Penetanguishene, Ont., led the Trauma Among Psychiatric Workers Project, a multi-hospital

study

designed to understand how workplace factors impact trauma experiences among nurses and other hospital staff.

Part of the study, published in 2020, surveyed 761 staff across three psychiatric hospitals in Ontario and conducted interviews with two dozen workers. They found 29 per cent of participants met the clinical screening threshold for PTSD, depression or anxiety.

“I think that’s really important research that CAMH has done,” said Hilton. “I think it’s important for giving that voice to staff who may not be able to speak out in their workplaces.

CAMH’s McKenzie said he takes staff accounts of a troubled workplace culture seriously. “I’m always mortified to hear when our (staff) are disappointed in us or upset by us and think we should do better,” he said. “There’s a hell of a lot (of supports for clinical and non-clinical workers) at CAMH — there needs to be. If we’ve got people saying, ‘we want more,’ we need to be able to listen and work out what we can do in order to improve things for individuals.”

CAMH promotes itself publicly as a leader in workplace wellness, advising companies like Maple Leaf Foods and Sun Life on how to improve employee well-being and organizational accountability.

The hospital hasn’t followed its own advice, said current and former staff who spoke with the Investigative Journalism Bureau.

One nurse, whose identity is being protected due to fear of retribution, said that although she’s aware of resources, she has avoided them. Her past experiences have left her fearful that anything she shares could be used against her.

“You lose trust because of the experiences that you go through — the trauma,” she said. “You hurt me already and now you’re telling me you set up someone to come help me. You think I’m going to accept that?… It’s not safe for me.”

Instead, she draws on support from her religious community outside of work and uses her vacation days as informal mental health leave.

Staff feedback also suggests a double standard in how patient abuse toward staff is addressed. “Patients calling me the ‘N’ word was the norm, no one had consequences,” one nurse said. “If a white nurse was made uncomfortable, the patient would have been secluded. But for Black nurses, this is just our job.”

Discriminatory patient care was also identified as a factor in staff mental health concerns, according to the CAMH research.

CAMH’s own “

Dismantling Anti-Black Racism

,” published in February 2021, says Black patients at CAMH are restrained 44 per cent more than white patients.

In a statement, CAMH said the decision to publicly release the restraint data was an intentional “step toward acknowledging systemic inequities and holding ourselves to a higher standard to do better.”

McKenzie said the disparity has significantly decreased since then through training and policy changes in the hospital.

“I don’t think we have solved this problem,” he said. “But I think that the plan of getting the data, showing the data and starting the conversations across CAMH about how we can improve and move towards equity have made a start. There’s a long way to go before we can honestly say that we have totally equitable services at CAMH.”

The path ahead

Survey respondents in the CAMH reports made recommendations for addressing the issues including forming an independent, employee-led committee to address workplace violence and discrimination, an independent ombudsperson to mediate complaints and clear accountability mechanisms.

CAMH has introduced several equity initiatives in recent years, including employee resource groups focused on anti-harassment and anti-discrimination, as well as better data collection.

In a statement, CAMH said it recognizes its responsibility to provide ongoing mental health support for staff, not just in times of crisis, but as a sustained commitment to employee well-being.

As of January 2024, the hospital said it increased mental health coverage for unionized and management staff and introduced unlimited coverage for Ontario Nurses Association members. In response to staff feedback, coverage was expanded to include off-site and private providers. Employees also have access to an employee family assistance program.

“We’re not perfect, but we’re giving it a bloody good try,” said McKenzie.

In her two decades at CAMH, Boyce said she has seen some positive movement. But decades of inequity, she said, are a lot to unpack.

At 66, the longtime nurse doubts the kind of meaningful change needed to address trauma, discrimination and bullying will happen in her lifetime.

“We chose this work to be advocates, to be caregivers… but who takes care of the caregiver?”

The Investigative Journalism Bureau (IJB) at the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health is a collaborative investigative newsroom supported by Postmedia that partners with academics, researchers and journalists while training the next generation of investigative reporters.

• ‘What the hell are we doing here?’ Inside Canada’s shockingly violent hospitals
• What the Law Society of Ontario isn’t telling you about your lawyer

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our newsletters here.

OTTAWA — When Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Quebec Premier François Legault faced reporters last week, some grinning and nervous laughter ensued when both men were asked why their two provinces could not come to a bilateral agreement on internal trade.

Ford has so far signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on trade with every province and territory — except for Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Ford said he had “all the confidence” in Legault, whom he considers to be a friend, and called him a “smart business person” who “wants prosperity for the people of Quebec” and understands that “when Quebec and Ontario prosper, the whole country prospers.”

“So, I’m confident we’ll sit down and really hash out a deal,” he said.

Speaking in French, Legault said his government wholeheartedly agrees with Ford’s objective of lifting internal trade barriers between provinces, but said Quebec would attain the same objective by debating and passing legislation — Bill 112 — in the fall.

The bill seeks to facilitate the commercialization of goods from other provinces and territories in Quebec — with some exceptions that will be made public on the government’s website — as well as the mobility of certified workers in the province.

In an interview, Quebec Minister for the Economy Christopher Skeete, who tabled the bill, said he appreciates the intent behind Ontario and others signing MOUs with other jurisdictions, but said these agreements would amount to added layers of bureaucracy.

“The thinking for us is if you pass a bill like we’re passing with Bill 112, that basically just opens everything. Then the point for an MOU becomes moot,” he said.

Skeete, who is also responsible for red tape reduction, said the signing of MOUs between different provinces and territories will lead to businesses having to potentially go through dozens of separate agreements if they want to do business elsewhere in the country.

“I’m not sure we’re providing the clarity that the exercise in cross-border trade seeks to remedy. I think the way forward is to say mutual recognition and harmonization where possible, and let’s just go. I think that is the posture that we need to be dealing with.”

Ontario already adopted Bill 2, the Protect Ontario Through Free Trade Within Canada Act, which enables provincial regulators to mutually recognize goods, services and recognized workers from reciprocating provinces and territories and the federal government.

An official in Ford’s office, speaking on a not-for-attribution basis to discuss internal matters more freely, said they respect Quebec’s wish to go solely the legislative route.

“Certainly, we respect that process, and our door continues to remain open,” they said.

The official added each MOU does not need dedicated legislation to enact the terms set out between Ontario and each province or territory, but specific agreements could help with the free flow of direct alcohol sales to consumers, for instance.

Legault has a majority government in Quebec, which means that Bill 112 will almost certainly pass in the fall. But the bulk of the work on determining which goods should be excluded by regulation from internal trade will commence right after, said Skeete.

“The clock starts when we pass the bill,” he said, adding that different departments inside the Quebec government will have about 12 months to get back to the government and give them a list of goods that they want to opt out of or want to exclude from internal trade.

“In other words, if there’s something that’s being sold outside of Quebec that you absolutely want to have a different norm, you’re going to have to tell us, and then we will publish that on our (ministry of the) Economy website for transparency.”

That way, Skeete added, “businesses will know exactly what they’re getting themselves into when they do business in Quebec.”

Many requirements that are considered not essential would be dropped once Bill 112 is in place. For instance, Transport Quebec currently has requirements that scooters should have reflectors be a specific colour, and be located both on the wheels and in the back.

“That kind of thing creates a barrier. So, we can agree that the scooter needs to have certain safety measures … but certainly, the colour and the location of the reflectors is really not the dealbreaker. So, that’s the kind of thing that would disappear,” said Skeete.

Some things, however, will not change under Bill 112. A senior government official in Quebec said French language laws will continue to apply for goods, and that professional orders in Quebec could require the mastery of French to practice in the province.

Quebec also has more stringent consumer protection laws, which means that goods coming into the province are still subject to certain guarantees, warranties and other norms bound by Quebec’s Office de la protection du consommateur, noted Skeete.

The example of the scooter made in another province would not be exempt from warranty obligations unique to Quebec nor would it be exempt from having instructions in French for how to handle the scooter if it were to be sold in the province, he said.

“The way to do business in Quebec doesn’t change just because you’re importing things from other provinces now.”

National Post

calevesque@postmedia.com

• Carney says he’ll only take ‘best deal’ from U.S. as premiers disagree over retaliation
• ‘We have to toughen up’: Premiers expect Ottawa to table bail reform legislation this fall

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our newsletters here.

Last week, in a 91-page judgement following an eight-week trial in London, Ont., Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia found all five defendants — 2018 Team Canada world junior hockey players — not guilty of sexual assault involving one complainant, identified only as E.M. due to a publication ban. Carroccia acquitted Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote after saying the complainant’s testimony was not found to be “either credible or reliable.” Here’s what to know about the woman who made that ruling.

She used to work as a waitress

In the questionnaire Carroccia completed to apply for a federal judicial appointment, she listed under “non-legal work history” two occupations. From 1980 to 1987, she worked as a part-time pharmacy assistant at Patterson Big V Drug Store, part of a chain that was later taken over by Shoppers Drug Mart. And in roughly the same period (1980 to 1986) she was a part-time waitress at Caboto Club of Windsor. Described on its website as “Southwestern Ontario’s largest and oldest Italian club,” the Giovanni Caboto Club turns 100 this year.

Her parents came to Canada from Italy

Carroccia is the oldest child of immigrants from Italy. Her parents did not finish grade school, and when they came to Canada her father became a construction worker, and her mother a homemaker. Their first language was not English and, growing up, Carroccia was often their intermediary when dealing with government agencies and English-speaking people.

“While they encouraged me to further my education, financially, they were not always able to assist, so I worked part time jobs as a student to pay for my education,” she said in her judicial application. “They taught me the value of hard work. We have a close-knit and loving large family.

She also noted that, as the mother of two children herself, “I have developed an ability to balance my professional life with my personal life.”

She worked  as a defence lawyer before she was a judge

Carroccia’s legal work history includes 25 years self-employed as a barrister and solicitor practicing in Windsor, with her practice restricted to criminal defence. Prior to that, she worked for five years for Gordner, Klein, Barristers and Solicitors, practicing criminal law; and two years before that at Gignac, Sutts Barristers and Solicitors, in the same capacity.

She has a degree in English language and literature

Carroccia was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1989 after graduating from the University of Windsor’s faculty of law two years earlier. In addition to her law degree, she also holds an English language and literature degree from Windsor, earned in 1984.

She was appointed in June of 2020 as a judge to the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario by then Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada David Lametti. This month, Lametti was named Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Mark Carney, after helping with Carney’s transition into office and as an informal advisor.

She once described herself as a lawyer who ‘works in the trenches’

In her judicial questionnaire, Carroccia noted that most of her time as a lawyer was spent as a sole practitioner. “I do not work in a large firm,” she said. “I view myself as a trial lawyer who ‘works in the trenches.’ My contribution to the law is to represent my clients to the best of my ability, whether they are charged with minor offences or the most serious offences.”

She thinks of herself as a plain speaker

“The audience for the decisions of the Superior Court of Justice is the average Canadian citizen,” she once said. “It is my view that a judge’s decision ought to make sense to an ordinary person, not just to lawyers, scholars and other judges. An individual should be able to understand the decision of a judge and the law upon which it is based even if he or she is not well-versed in the law.”

Her ruling was criticized but also seen by many as fair and balanced

While there was outrage from some quarters at the acquittal, there were also those who praised the verdict and the judge’s careful work. Karen Bellehumeur, lawyer for E.M., said as part of her statement after the verdict: “It’s important to understand that this case, the criminal justice system worked the way it’s designed to work, to aggressively protect the rights of the accused. It’s based on a concept that 10 guilty persons should walk free before one innocent person is wrongly convicted.”

And Meaghan Cunningham, assistant Crown attorney, noted: “A fair trial is one where decisions are made based on the evidence and the law, not on stereotypes and assumptions, and where the trial process respects the security, equality, and privacy rights of the victim, as well as the accused persons.”

Read the full text of the judge’s verdict in the Hockey Canada sex assault trial

• NHLPA says acquitted hockey players should get to ‘return to work’ after sex assault verdict
• Letters: Law and disorder in Hockey Canada verdicts, Freedom Convoy sentencing

Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.