'Over the line': Alberta MLA says COVID-19 protesters brought a noose to her house

EDMONTON -

A UCP MLA in Grande Prairie, Alta., says a group of protesters descended on her house with a noose Sunday to "terrorize" her family and her neighbours.

Tracy Allard — once the province's municipal affairs minister before she resigned amid a pandemic travel scandal — said about 30 protesters came to her house, upset about the province's COVID-19 rules.

She posted an image of a noose on a stand she says they left in her yard. It read "hang em all" and "no to masks."

"To the protesters: what you did yesterday was over the line…This is not the way to seek change. You won’t get what you want through intimidation, threats and bullying," Allard wrote on Facebook.

"And you won’t keep representatives that are invested in their jobs and working diligently on your behalf if you terrorize their families and their neighbourhoods."

On Tuesday, RCMP confirmed that officers were called to the protest of about 15 to 20 people in the Grande Banks neighbourhood around 2:50 p.m. on Sunday.

Officers asked the people gathered there to take the noose down and they did, a statement said.

"RCMP conducted an investigation into the symbolic 'noose' but were unable to identify the person responsible for bringing it and displaying it. As their intentions could not be determined, no charges were laid out of this incident," Cpl. Kelly Sikorski said.

Police asked for help from eyewitnesses or anyone with video footage. 

ALLARD A 'DISSENTING OPINION' ON COVID-19 RULES

Allard wiped tears away when speaking to reporters about the "disturbing" situation in the legislature on Tuesday.

"I'm a pretty tough cookie…but I'm concerned for the younger people that are watching this. The young people who are watching good people in politics get vilified for all the wrong reasons," she said, adding it's been a tough year, with many people saying nasty things to her family members.

Allard said she is working to address the issue with RCMP and the legislature Sergeant-at-Arms.

Allard was part of a group of UCP MLAs that publicly criticized the government's COVID-19 response as being too restrictive in April.

Alberta's third wave was building at the time, peaking at more than 2,000 daily cases in early May.

Allard pointed out in her Facebook post written Monday that she's known for bringing a "dissenting opinion" on COVID-19 restrictions and she said she understands that not all unvaccinated people are "anti-vaxxers."

"I have brought forward the consideration of informed consent, the concerns of adverse reaction to vaccines including myocarditis, the questions about complicated health histories, allergies, and reproductive health, to name a few," she wrote.

"The uncertainty of the last 20 months, including confusing and seemingly contradictory restrictions imposed by governments the world over, has left citizens confused, uncertain, and fearful."

Allard added that constituents were free to call her office but needed to "leave my family and my private life alone."

Allard announced on May 10 that she had been vaccinated, after not initially responding to a vaccination survey of elected officials conducted by CTV News Calgary.