Stop harassing staff and volunteers when getting your vaccine, Timmins police warn
Police in Timmins are warning people who are reluctantly getting their COVID-19 vaccine to behave themselves and stop harassing staff and volunteers at clinics.
Police spokesperson Marc Depatie told CTV's Lydia Chubak that some people getting vaccinated recently aren't happy about it and are only doing it because of vaccine mandates in the province.
Some have made comments to staff, threatening consequences if they react to the vaccine or they get sick.
In a news release Wednesday, police said they respect everyone's right to protest, but some people have gone too far.
"The Timmins Police Service has been made aware of a number of recent incidents involving menacing or threatening behaviours at COVID-19 vaccine clinics," police said in a news release Wednesday.
"While the Timmins Police Service respects any individual’s Charter-protected right to self-expression, the expression of any opinion must not breach the threshold of that which is intended to threaten, menace, or intimidate the recipient."
Anti-vaccine protests have been held across the country during the pandemic, including ones outside of hospitals. Officials in Sudbury have added security for some vaccine clinics.
Vaccines have been polarizing for some, Timmins police said, leading some residents to target the people administering them.
"Healthcare professionals and volunteers who are deployed at any vaccine clinics in Timmins are fully entitled to lawful protection from any threatening utterances, gestures, or behaviour that is intended to create a hostile or menacing environment," the release said.
"No matter what the point of view or frustration level that any person attending these clinics might have, an expectation of common courtesy is clear and obvious. Those attending vaccination clinics must adhere to the expected rules of conduct provided by the staff at the clinic or to leave when requested to do so."
Police said they will investigate "any instances necessary" to ensure a safe and secure environment for attendees and vaccination staff.
"Should the evidence derived from any such investigation support charges under any provincial or federal acts of Parliament, then it will be pursued by means of laying the applicable charges," the release said.
"The Timmins police have an obligation to preserve and enhance the safety of all citizens. Anyone found indulging in behaviour that is meant to disrupt or intimidate vaccination clinic staff will have the incident investigated as necessary."
--With notes from Lydia Chubak
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.