Minister demands answers from OpenAI as reports reveal shooter’s account raised internal red flags

Canada’s Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon has summoned senior staff from OpenAI to Ottawa this week to discuss the company’s safety protocols. The issue follows reports that OpenAI did not report a Canadian ChatGPT user whose account raised internal red flags months before police say she carried out a school shooting. The situation was reported by Politico.

Solomon said he spoke with OpenAI’s senior safety team on Sunday and scheduled an in-person meeting for Tuesday. He said he wants an explanation of how OpenAI sets thresholds for escalating cases to police and when the company decides to contact authorities.

The controversy centers on the ChatGPT account of Jesse Van Rootselaar, an 18-year-old police say killed eight people in a February 10, 2026, school shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. The victims included five children, according to the report.

Canada presses OpenAI on escalation thresholds to police

Politico reported that OpenAI banned Van Rootselaar’s account seven months before the shooting. Some employees reportedly flagged her writings internally as an indication of potential real-world violence and urged company leaders to alert Canadian police. The same news cycle also included a Binance sanctions dispute report.

An OpenAI spokesperson said that at the time of the ban, the account activity did not meet the company’s criteria for reporting to authorities. The company contacted police only after it learned of the shooting, according to the report.

Canada’s Justice Minister Sean Fraser, Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, and Culture Minister Marc Miller are also involved. Solomon said he would not specify how far the government might go on regulating AI chatbots, but said all options remain under consideration.

The report noted the Liberal government has worked for years on an online harms bill focused on protecting children online while addressing free speech concerns. Two earlier versions did not pass Parliament, and Solomon did not say whether this case will reshape Canada’s broader online harms strategy, as Venom animated track record note also circulated in entertainment coverage.