![\"Ducks](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783079362_178_default.jpg\")
Bhuiyan said he is raising ducks on his property, which is legal under Clarington’s zoning bylaws, but said there is no slaughter of animals taking place at his home. (Christian D’Avino\/CBC News)<\/p>\nA Muslim family in Clarington, Ont., says it is living a “nightmare” after false allegations of an illegal slaughterhouse on its property transformed from online rumors into real-world harassment, threats and a planned protest.<\/p>\n
Mohsin Bhuiyan, who has operated a small hobby farm in the community for the last year, says he and his family have been “terrorized” by those pushing misinformation about his property online, suggesting he is running an \u201cillegal slaughterhouse\u201d on site.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“We cannot sleep at night because they’re taking pictures. We do not know who is coming and who is passing by,\u201d he told CBC News.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The harassment began approximately one month ago after screenshots circulated on social media claiming the farm was slaughtering Canadian geese and operating an illegal business, Bhuiyan said.<\/p>\n
That triggered a series of unannounced inspections from four different regulatory bodies, he said, including Ontario’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, Clarington bylaw officers, building inspectors and Durham Region’s public health unit. CBC News has seen letters from all four bodies, suggesting there was no indication of a slaughterhouse on the property.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis letter confirms your premises is in compliance with OMFA regulations,\u201d reads a letter from the ministry sent on June 15.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
CBC News has requested further comment from the ministry.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bhuiyan said he is raising ducks on his property, which is legal under Clarington’s zoning bylaws, but said there is no slaughter of animals taking place at his home. (Christian D’Avino\/CBC News)<\/p>\n
The Municipality of Clarington told CBC News that following a thorough investigation, it found “no evidence\u201d of illegal slaughterhouses in Clarington, including Bhuiyan\u2019s property.<\/p>\n
Still, Bhuiyan said his family has faced harassment including drones flying over his property, social media comments calling for his house to be burned and his address being publicized.<\/p>\n
Bhuiyan and his wife were also confronted outside their home earlier this week, leaving their family \u201ctraumatized,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
That interaction was filmed by John Mutton, the former mayor of Bowmanville. Mutton was the lobbyist dubbed \u201cMr. X\u201d<\/a> in a report into the removal of Greenbelt land and was subsequently banned from lobbying the province for a minimum of two years.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mutton told CBC News he was acting on behalf of an “army of people” who he claims are concerned about alleged animal welfare violations.\u00a0<\/p>\n Former mayor disputes allegations of harassment<\/p>\n “People came to me to raise the issue,” Mutton said. “I\u2019m not in charge of [the protest]. I\u2019m just a guy that\u2019s going out there and talking at the residents’ request.”<\/p>\n Mutton denied that his actions \u2014 or the actions of \u201cconcerned\u201d residents \u2014 constitute harassment.\u00a0<\/p>\n Asked why he showed up to Bhuiyan\u2019s property this week, Mutton said he was asked by a reporter from an online publication to join them on site to show the location of Bhuiyan\u2019s operations.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mutton disputes the findings of the municipal investigation that cleared the farm of wrongdoing, suggesting that he, as a former mayor, is an \u201cexpert\u201d on bylaw issues.<\/p>\n For example, Mutton claimed the pond that exists on the property is an \u201cillegal\u201d expansion and that it also was in violation of building bylaws.<\/p>\n In its statement, the municipality did confirm building inspectors found building code matters \u201cunrelated\u201d to meat processing at the site, but didn\u2019t indicate what those violations were.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The letter that Bhuiyan received from the municipality indicated the violation was related to two structures being built without building permits being issued.\u00a0Bhuiyan was not fined nor issued a teardown order, but was instead asked to apply for the permits for the structure before an order-to-comply was issued.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mutton has also posted online about complaints surrounding other properties in Clarington, Ontario, and across Canada calling for the investigation of what he claims to be \u201cillegal slaughterhouses,\u201d specifically those operating as halal.<\/p>\n “This has nothing to do with race, nothing to do with religion,\u201d he told CBC News, insisting his motivation is strictly regulatory.<\/p>\n Social media a \u2018safe haven\u2019 for hate: advocacy group<\/p>\n But Omar Khamissa, chief mobilization officer for the National Council of Canadian Muslims, says the targeting of Bhuiyan\u2019s farm and others is part of a “spike of Islamophobia” that has turned online spaces into a “safe haven” for conspiracy theories.<\/p>\n “It started as something that was online and now it\u2019s transformed into real-life harassment, real-life campaigns, real-life threats,” Khamissa said. He noted that the situation escalated when the misinformation was shared by influential figures, such as Mutton.<\/p>\n The NCCM is also calling for advancements in online harm legislation to prevent digital campaigns from turning into real-world violence, pointing to the 2021 terror<\/a> attack in London, Ont., the 2017 Quebec City mosque shooting, and, most recently, a mosque shooting in San Diego in May.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere’s got to be a line here,\u201d Khamissa said. \u201cWe’re not just talking about one family anymore. Now we’re talking about what kind of country we have.”<\/p>\n![\"Two](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1783079362_589_default.jpg\")
Former Bowmanville mayor, John Mutton, left, said he is acting on behalf of an ‘army of people’ who he claims are concerned about alleged animal welfare violations. (John Mutton\/LinkedIn)<\/p>\n