Man charged after knife incident at Premier Doug Ford’s home ran for mayor of Caledon
The man charged after a butcher's knife incident outside Premier Doug Ford's home is a former candidate for mayor of Caledon, the Star has learned.
George Niras, 44, has been charged with one count of possession of a weapon and 11 counts of mischief after a knife-wielding man was arrested at Ford's Etobicoke home on Monday night.
Neighbours have said their tires were slashed before the visibly upset man approached the premier's home, yelling threats toward his front door.
Ford and his wife, Karla, were not at home at the time.
But a member of the premier's Ontario Provincial Police security detail was on hand to arrest the man. No one was injured in the takedown.
In 2014, Niras was a candidate in the Caledon mayoral race.
He dropped out of the contest to support a rival hopeful.
At the time, Niras had been working as a project manager at a custom homebuilder in Bolton.
He has since moved to Etobicoke, where he lives with family members.
On a Twitter account, @NirasGeorge, there are numerous retweets of Ford's tweets on the pandemic, accompanied by critical comments.
The account also features many tweets expressing support for former U.S. president Donald Trump and one denouncing the dumbass" OPP.
As well, there is a posting on the social media site stating #PoliceState in #Ontario," which apparently refers to pandemic lockdown measures.
In another post, the account mockingly asks if Ford is at the cottage with 50 other people," a reference to the premier's controversial jaunt to his Muskoka cottage on Easter Sunday last year when Ontarians were being urged not to travel to curb the spread of the virus.
Any criticism towards me is fair. On Sunday morning of Easter, my team told me I got the morning off. It was the first time I got off in two months," Ford said at the time.
It was weighing on me because a couple of years ago we had burst pipes. It made a terrible mess, thousands of dollars of damage."
Niras was released on bail following his arrest. He has not returned calls, texts or direct messages from the Star seeking comment over the past two days.
His lawyer, Donna Pledge said in an email, I will not have anything to say, with respect."
Ford's neighbours have told the Star they spotted a man brandishing a butcher's knife spattered with what appeared to be blood
Interim Toronto police chief James Ramer said Tuesday he was very concerned" about what happened and had discussions with OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique about the security situation.
Ford's street in a posh Etobicoke enclave has been the scene of almost weekly protests during the pandemic by demonstrators opposed to lockdowns.
The premier, who has a full-time OPP security detail, has repeatedly urged them to rally at Queen's Park.
Every single day, my friends, there's protesters outside my house. It doesn't affect me. I'm not there," Ford told reporters last November.
I have the best neighbours anyone could ever ask for. They didn't sign up for this. They aren't making decisions for the government. It is totally unfair," he said.
It's unacceptable that they have to put up with this because they're living beside the premier. This is totally unacceptable that my neighbours are being intimidated, being threatened. You want to come at me, come at me. Leave my family and leave my neighbours alone."
With files from Astrid Lange and Wendy Gillis
Robert Benzie is the Star's Queen's Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie