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
The story of how a B.C. man found his birth mother
After his adopted parents died, Dave Rogers set out to learn more about his birth mother. DNA results and a little help from friendly strangers would put him on a path to a small town in England.
When grief and AI collide: These people are communicating with the dead
AI tools can offer recommendations, answer questions and 'talk' with users. But some users are using them to recreate the likeness of the dead.
Spike in 'violent rhetoric' since Oct. 7 attack from 'extremist actors,' CSIS warns
The Israel-Hamas war has led to a spike in 'violent rhetoric' from 'extremist actors' that could prompt some in Canada to turn to violence, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warns.
Montreal man on the hook for thousands of dollars after a feature on his Tesla caused an accident
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
Italy's white-collar mafia is making a business killing
Italy's mafia rarely dirties its hands with blood these days. Extortion rackets have gone out of fashion and murders are largely frowned upon by the godfathers.
WestJet, mechanics union agree to tentative deal to avoid strike
A potential strike between WestJet and its mechanics union appears to have been avoided.
Prosecutors move deeper into Trump's orbit as testimony in hush money trial enters a third week
Prosecutors in Donald Trump's hush money trial are moving deeper into his orbit following an inside-the-room account about the former president's reaction to a politically damaging recording that surfaced in the final weeks of the 2016 campaign.
Russia announces nuclear weapon drills after angry exchange with senior Western officials
Russia plans to hold drills simulating the use of battlefield nuclear weapons, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, days after the Kremlin reacted angrily to comments by senior Western officials about the war in Ukraine and Moscow warned that tensions with the West are deepening.
Summer forecast: What to expect as El Nino weakens
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.