Toronto man gives children anti-vaccine postcard with their Halloween candy
A Toronto man who gave children an anti-vaccine postcard along with their Halloween candy says he does not feel bad about doing it.
Erin Clifford said her eight-year-old going door-to-door on Halloween in Little Italy was supposed to be something normal in the middle of the pandemic, instead she ended up ticked-off.
"(He) put it in my kids bag of treats," Clifford said. "I just got really upset that that's how they would do it."
"It's a kid’s holiday. There's no place for it. We wouldn't be sending out pro-vaccine messages on Halloween. You were sending it straight to my kids and it was attached to something they wanted."
CTV News Toronto spoke with the man who said he handed out the postcards with the treat on Halloween, but wouldn’t appear on camera.
He said he "absolutely does not feel bad" about handing them out because it’s such an important issue.
He said he gave out 30 of postcards, with two sets of parents handing them back.
One mother told CTV News Toronto she felt the postcard scared children.
Patrick Bednarek's eight-year-old also received the postcard.
"Little disappointed that Halloween was being used as an opportunity to communicate these perspective to an audience, which is a younger audience that can’t make the choice themselves to get vaccinated yet," Bednarek said.
Parents who discovered the postcard in the loot said they aren't totally surprised, as people on both sides of the vaccine debate are passionate.
"It was a fun night, and didn't mar my kid's experience, but it marred mine," said Clifford.
"He [my 8-year-old] didn’t really have a perspective on it one way or the other. It was more I noticed it among the parents getting together chatting about it thinking it was awkward on Halloween," Bednarek said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Pedestrian, baby injured after stroller struck and dragged by vehicle in Squamish, B.C.
Police say a baby and a pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a vehicle struck a baby stroller and dragged it for two blocks before stopping in Squamish, B.C.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
Demonstrators kicked out of Ontario legislature for disruption after failed keffiyeh vote
A group of demonstrators were kicked out of the legislature after a second NDP motion calling for unanimous consent to reverse a ban on the keffiyeh failed to pass.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
RCMP uncovers alleged plot by 2 Montreal men to illegally sell drones, equipment to Libya
The RCMP says it has uncovered a plot by two men in Montreal to sell Chinese drones and military equipment to Libya illegally.
Government agrees to US$138.7M settlement over FBI's botching of Larry Nassar assault allegations
The U.S. Justice Department announced a US$138.7 million settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest.
Man wanted in connection with deadly shooting in Toronto tops list of most wanted fugitives in Canada
A 35-year-old man wanted in connection with the murder of Toronto resident 29-year-old Sharmar Powell-Flowers nine months ago has topped the list of the BOLO program’s 25 most wanted fugitives across Canada, police announced Tuesday.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Pro-Palestinian protests roiling U.S. colleges escalate with arrests, new encampments and closures
The student protests of Israel's war with Hamas that have been creating friction at U.S. universities escalated Tuesday as new encampments sprouted and some colleges encouraged students to stay home and learn online, after dozens of arrests across the country.