Ontario premier pressed to investigate 'statistically curious' vaccine medical exemptions in PC caucus
The number of medical exemptions for the COVID-19 vaccine in Premier Doug Ford's caucus is 'statistically curious,' according to his political critics, after two members were given a pass – a rate that far exceeds the rest of the province.
MPPs Christina Mitas and Lindsey Park both provided the government with proof of a medical exemption, allowing them to remain within the Progressive Conservative caucus while unvaccinated. The concentration of exemptions within the same caucus is being characterized as an anomaly and has prompted calls for an independent review of the validity of the exemptions.
On Tuesday, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health confirmed that in most cases only two medical exemptions can apply: a severe allergic reaction to any of the components of the vaccines confirmed by an allergist; or a risk of pericarditis or myocarditis which predominantly applies to younger age groups.
Dr. Kieran Moore said when combined “we should be seeing medical exemptions at the risk of around one to five per 100,000” but suggested some employees in Ontario may be receiving fraudulent exemptions to avoid disciplinary action.
Moore said the rate of medical exemptions reported by workers in Ontario is “higher” than the general risk which he believes “deserves a review.”
“We’ve tried to educate physicians, nurse practioners who fill out these forms to ensure that they are aware of the two major medical exemptions for these vaccines,” Dr. Moore said.
Critics were quick to compare the 1:100,000 standard risk of medical exemptions to the rate within the Ontario PC caucus which currently stands at 1:35.
"I find it statistically curious that there's such a statistically large number of conservative caucus members (with an exemption) relative to the size of the caucus," NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said Monday and added that the validity of the exemptions should be reviewed to ensure the two MPPs in question are “telling the truth.”
Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca said the two medical exemptions in a team of 70 people “is kind of out of whack” and “a bit unusual” and is calling for a further probe of the exemptions.
Those calls were echoed by Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner who said, while he’s not casting doubt, verifying medical exemptions is important “to keep all the staff who work at Queen’s Park safe.”
On Monday, Government House Leader Paul Calandra said the PC party human resources department is responsible for verifying the validity of the exemptions, and added that both Park and Mitas “presumably received medical exemptions from medical practitioners following the guidelines set forward by the Chief Medical Officer of Health.”
Still, sources in the Ford government tell CTV News Toronto that MPPs have “the right to a private relationship with their doctor” and while the party doesn’t know the nature of the conversations between the two caucus members and their physicians, the government is choosing to accept the exemptions and “trust these individuals.”
“We’re not going to get involved in someone’s medical relationship with their doctor,” one source said, speaking on background to discuss sensitive human resources issues.
“We have to respect that that’s what they’ve been provided by their doctor.”
MPP Roman Baber – a former PC caucus member – said the government should forward the vaccine exclusion notes to the Ontario Public Service allowing the civil service to independently verify the legitimacy of the exemptions.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.