(Fox News) — A majority of the entire Toronto Police Service must have COVID-19 vaccinations because 248 city employees have been suspended without pay for failing to pay for the vaccinations, the Toronto Star is reporting.
The officers have been under investigation by the force for failing to pay fines for failing to receive vaccinations for measles, mumps and rubella — a highly contagious infectious disease caused by measles, a virus which attacks the lungs, brain and other tissues — and the Toronto Police Services Board has voted to suspend some of them for six months, reporting only 147 of them have paid fines.
The Star said 168 of the 248 suspended employees have raised questions about how the department brought in the vaccinations without input from the mayor, as required by legislation.
Some of the suspensions involved officers who failed to pay fines for missing deadlines. But the fact that 248 members of the force were put on leave raises questions about how many members of the force actually needed the vaccine.
Employees who declined to pay the fine were accused of using fake names.
Health Canada recommends that children up to the age of six are vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella. A plan to eradicate polio from the world was earlier called the greatest public health achievement.
However, measles was declared to be eliminated from Canada in 2000 and mumps was declared eliminated in 2015.
“We would suggest that there should be a serious discussion about this now in the police service and we would be looking for a public explanation of this,” said Ken Eckersley, the union’s national president, to the Star.
Members who had received the vaccines said they had been given the appointment form by the Service and hadn’t made the appointment by the deadline.
“I don’t know about the other employees, but I had no problem with it,” a Toronto police corporal, who did not want to be identified by name, told the Star. “I did not think I had to be vaccinated. I believe in medical freedom and I’m just not a fan of government mandates. I feel that you have a right to be healthy, and if there is a government mandate, it should come from your doctor.”
“I had received a vaccination around 2008, 2009, but you have to have the shot within 14 days of a missed appointment,” said a Toronto police sergeant. “I haven’t received a call about it since, so I’m not sure I’m supposed to have it. But from what I know, I can get it any time from a doctor. I am not a fan of vaccinations.”
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