Ontario not considering tax for unvaccinated individuals, top doctor says
Ontario’s top doctor says the province will not introduce a tax for individuals who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 a day after Quebec introduced a similar measure in an effort to monetarily support its health-care system.
Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore made the comment during a news conference about the return to in-person learning in Ontario schools next week.
He said that such a recommendation has not been made to government throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and that the public health measure is not one he and his team would bring forward for consideration.
“It does, in my mind, seem punitive,” Dr. Moore said. “Only in the highest-risk settings have we mandated it, and that was in the long-term care facilities where all of us have realized the increased death rate, the increased risk of severe outcomes [of COVID-19] had to be balanced by maximizing immunization and protection of those individuals.”
“That is as far as this government has gone in terms of mandating vaccination and putting a penalty on those who have not been vaccinated has not been entertained by this government,” Moore said.
Premier Doug Ford doubled down on Dr. Moore’s comments during a tour of a vaccination clinic in Toronto on Wednesday afternoon and said Ontario is taking a “different approach” to drive up vaccination rates.
“We aren’t going down that road,” Ford said after being asked about Quebec’s tax for the unvaccinated. “I implore, I ask, I beg, every single person that’s not vaccinated, please, protect yourself, protect your family, protect coworkers, please get your vaccination, that’s the best way we can defend against Omicron or any of the variants.”
On Tuesday, Quebec Premier François Legault announced the new measure, which he described as a "health-care contribution,” for people who refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19 for non-medical reasons.
The Quebec government is currently consulting with the finance minister and its legal advisers about implementing the measure, but Legault has said that a $50 or $100 tax "is not significant" enough for him.
Meanwhile, health officials in British Columbia said Tuesday that its provincial government has no plans to demand payment from the unvaccinated.
Last week, federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos suggested that provinces and territories should consider mandating vaccinations as he said the nation’s health-care system is stretched “too thin” amid an Omicron-fuelled wave of COVID-19 infections.
As of Tuesday, 91.2 per cent of Ontarians over the age of 12 have one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 88.5 per cent have two doses and are considered by the government to be fully vaccinated.
With files from CTV News Montreal’s Joe Lofaro
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.