Vaccine Choice Canada

Your Child. Your Future. Your Choice.

Donate Button
  • About Vaccines
    • Vaccination: Basic Concerns
      • Children’s Health in Decline
      • Contraindications to Vaccination
      • Parent’s Guide to Vaccination
      • Adverse Events – Unreported
      • Disease Trends
    • General Issues
      • Informed Consent – Mature Minor – Ethics
      • Politics of Vaccination
      • Healthcare Worker & Student Vaccines
      • Herd Immunity
      • Doctors Speak
      • Parents Speak
      • Reports
    • Specific Vaccines
    • Vaccine Ingredients
  • Health Risks
  • Science
  • Exemptions
    • Legal Exemption Forms
    • Canadian Medical Law
    • Ontario Daycare Exemptions
    • Immunization Not Mandatory in Canada
    • Threats to Exemptions
    • Take Action / Events
  • Personal Stories
  • Alternatives
    • Alternatives – Specific Infections
  • Articles
  • Resources
    • Child Health Links
    • Pro-vaccine websites
    • Video & Audio
  • Home
  • About VCC
    • Policy Statement on Vaccination
    • Who We Are & What We Do
    • VCC History
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
  • Join
  • Report a Reaction
  • Bookstore
  • Contact
  • Member’s Area
    • Journal Archive
  • Site Map
  • Media
You are here: Home / Media / VCC Ask Media to be More Discerning

VCC Ask Media to be More Discerning

December 17, 2017 By Vaccine Choice Canada

Printable PDF of the letter here


 

 

December 15, 2017

Re: Inaccurate and Deceptive Statements from the Ministry of Health

Dear Media of Ontario

It has come to our attention that the majority of mainstream media are disseminating inaccurate and deceptive statements pertaining to vaccination requirements for school attendance in Ontario.

Below is a sampling of the media messages that are in error:

Guelph Mercury: https://www.guelphmercury.com/news-story/7965651-guelph-students-without-updated-immunization-records-face-suspension-in-january/

Global News: https://globalnews.ca/news/3882560/elementary-students-with-incomplete-immunization-records-could-face-suspension-in-2018/

Bayshore Broadcasting; http://www.bayshorebroadcasting.ca/news_item.php?NewsID=97817

The obvious uniformity to these reports suggests each of these announcements is based on the same source. Upon further investigation we now understand that the source of these statements is the Ontario Ministry of Health and local public health units.

The Ontario Ministry of Health is disseminating inaccurate and misleading statements about vaccine requirements for school attendance. Typical alerts issued by Public Health Units, under the direction of the Ministry of Health, include statements such as:

Students need to get any missing vaccines and update their records with Public Health by January 26, 2018 to be in compliance with the Immunization of School Pupils Act.

To attend school, students in Ontario need to be immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, meningococcal disease and pertussis (whooping cough). Students born since January 1, 2010 also need to be vaccinated for varicella (chicken pox).

This information is inaccurate and misleading.

Vaccination is Voluntary

The fact is all vaccinations in Canada are voluntary. These public announcements fail to inform the public that Ontario’s parents have the legal right to exempt their children from any and all vaccinations for school or day care for reasons of conscience, religion or medical concerns.

The Public Health Agency of Canada’s Communicable Disease Report  Volume: 23S4 – May 1997 makes this legal right absolutely clear (emphasis ours):

“Unlike some countries, immunization is not mandatory in Canada; it cannot be made mandatory because of the Canadian Constitution.… [Two] provinces require proof of immunization for school entrance: Ontario and New Brunswick…But exceptions are permitted on medical or religious grounds and reasons of conscience; legislation and regulations must not be interpreted to imply compulsory immunization.”

In Ontario, the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA) requires up-to-date documentation of complying with certain designated vaccines OR a statement of exemption based on conscience, religion or medical reasons. The ISPA requirement is an administrative requirement, not a medical requirement.

Further, vaccines such as HPV and Hep B are not designated in the ISPA and there is no requirement these vaccines be administered; nor is there a requirement for parents to obtain an exemption for these vaccines.

To make the statement that certain vaccines are “needed” for school admission is false and clearly meant to deceive the public. These public statements issued by the Ministry of Health appear to be an intentional misrepresentation of the legal requirements pertaining to vaccinations and school admission in Ontario.

Any action that is dictated by fear and coercion of any kind
ceases to be moral.
~ Mahatma Gandhi

A factual and honest statement would be the following:

Ontario’s Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA) requires that children and adolescents attending primary or secondary school be appropriately immunized against designated diseases, or have completed a valid exemption. Exemption forms are available at: https://www.ontario.ca/page/vaccines-children-school#section-4

The Ontario government recently added an additional requirement of insisting parents attend an “education session” before allowing them to access their legal right to an exemption. This represents further encroachment on our legal rights by the Ontario government.

The Ontario Ministry of Health regularly fails to disclose information about legally available vaccine exemptions, and routinely insinuates that vaccination is mandatory for school entry when it is not.

Disseminating false and deceptive information about the requirements of the ISPA is a fraudulent way to coerce families to vaccinate. It is clear the Ministry of Health has no intention of honouring the medical ethic of informed consent and their own Health Care Consent Act.

Informed consent involves the basic human right to consent or refuse
a medical treatment or procedure, including vaccination. 
The consent must be voluntary.

If a patient, or parent of a patient, is coerced or threatened in any way
into consenting for vaccination (including statutory or government mandated exclusion from school), then the “consent” obtained
is actually coerced consent, not informed consent.

~ Physicians for Informed Consent

Mandatory Vaccination Violates Rights and Accords

In spite of numerous claims made by both public health agencies and the media that vaccines are required, vaccination is voluntary in Canada. Mandatory vaccination would be a violation of our Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, as well as numerous international Conventions to which Canada is signatory including the Nuremberg Code and Helsinki Accords.

These conventions defend the basic human right to Informed Consent and reject the moral argument that the creation of alleged benefits for the many justifies the sacrifice of the few.

Mandatory vaccination would also be a clear violation of the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights; Article 6 – Consent:

“Any preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic medical intervention is only to be carried out with the prior, free and informed consent of the person concerned, based on adequate information. The consent should, where appropriate, be expressed and may be withdrawn by the person concerned at any time and for any reason without disadvantage or prejudice.”

Mandatory vaccination is a violation of each of the following:

  1. Ontario’s Health Care Consent Act, which stipulates “No treatment without consent” and lays out the elements of consent required for treatment:
  • The consent must be informed.
  • The consent must be given voluntarily.
  • The consent must not be obtained through misrepresentation or fraud.
  1. Canadian Medical Law enshrines the individual’s right to voluntary, informed consent to medical risk taking as a foundational medical ethic.

The dishonest and deceptive statements disseminated by the Ontario Ministry of Health are a violation of its own Health Care Consent Act.

MOH Provides Deceptive and Dishonest Information

The Ministry of Health and Long Term Care is guilty of disseminating false, inaccurate, and deceptive information pertaining to the safety and effectiveness of vaccination.

I direct your attention to the Ministry of Health online document – Healthy Choices, Healthy Children: Why Vaccinations Are A Healthy Choice for A Strong Immune System! http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/pro/programs/immunization/myths.aspx#

If the intention of this online document is to provide Ontario parents with accurate and up-to-date information about the safety, effectiveness and necessity of the current designated vaccination schedule it fails miserably. The document contains numerous inaccuracies and makes many statements and claims about vaccine safety and effectiveness that are not supported by the evidence.

If this document represents the best and most up-to-date information available from the Ontario Ministry of Health, the Ontario Medical Association and the Pediatric Alliance of Ontario, it indicates that health consumers in Ontario are being given inaccurate, deceptive, and dishonest information with which to make their vaccination decisions.

This level of deception, dishonesty and inaccuracy negatively impacts the ability of Ontario parents to make well-informed decisions pertaining to the medical practice of vaccinations. It also undermines the trust and confidence in these institutions to provide reliable and verifiable information and to act in the public’s best interest.

Our response to this document can be read at: https://vaccinechoicecanada.com/media/ontario-ministry-of-health-disseminates-myths-about-vaccine-safety/

In 2012 and again in 2016 Vaccine Choice Canada filed a formal complaint with the Ombudsman of Ontario regarding the dishonest and deceptive information being disseminated by the Ontario Ministry of Health. This formal complaint can be viewed here:
https://vaccinechoicecanada.com/in-the-news/ombudsman-complaint-ontario-ministry-of-health-deceiving-canadian-parents/

Unfortunately, the level of dishonesty and deception by the Ministry of Health has not decreased. Given the persistent nature of the dissemination of inaccurate statements, it is clear these efforts to misinform the public are intentional.

Ontario Needs Responsible Journalism

We at Vaccine Choice Canada encourage the media to be more discerning of the information being disseminated by the Ministry of Health and refuse to participate in this deception. The public relies on the media to provide accurate and reliable information, especially as pertains to matters of health. Blindly trusting the Ministry of Health to act in the public’s best interests is clearly not warranted.

Sincerely,

 

 

Ted Kuntz, Parent of a Vaccine Injured Child
Vice President, Vaccine Choice Canada

Correspondence can be directed to:

Vaccine Choice Canada
PO Box 37145 Southdale
London, ON    N6E 3T3
London@vaccinechoicecanada.com

cc.

Toronto Sun, editor@tor.sunpub.com
Ottawa Sun, ottsun.oped@sunmedia.ca
Ottawa Citizen, letters@ottawacitizen.com
Windsor Star, letters@windsorstar.com
London Free Press, letters@lfpress.com
Guelph Mercury, editor@guelphmercury.com
Hamilton Spectator, letters@hamiltonspectator.com
Kingston Whig Standard, whiged@thewhig.com
Kitchener-Waterloo Record, letters@therecord.com
Sudbury Star, editorial@thesudburystar.com
Brockville Recorder & Times, editor@tor.sunpub.com
Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal, letters@chroniclejournal.com
Sault Star, ssmstar@saultstar.com

Globe and Mail, editorials@globeandmail.ca
Toronto Star, lettertoed@thestar.com
National Post, letters@nationalpost.com

Jim Brown – host of 180  The180@cbc.ca

Barbara Kay – kaybarb@gmail.com

Andrew Lawton – andrew@am980.ca

Lawrence Solomon – lsolomon@postmedia.com

 

Share this:

Filed Under: Exemptions, In the News, Media, Take Action, Threats to Exemptions Tagged With: Charter of Rights and Freedoms, education session, Health Care Consent Act, health unit, Immunization of School Pupils Act, informed consent, ISPA, media, Ontario Ministry of Health, Ted Kuntz, vaccine exemptions

Articles by Category

  • About Vaccines
    (178)
    • Adverse Events
      (106)
    • Compensation
      (5)
    • Contraindications
      (1)
    • Herd Immunity
      (11)
    • Informed Consent – Mature Minor – Ethics
      (80)
    • Reports
      (13)
  • Disease Trends
    (27)
  • Doctors Speak
    (54)
  • Exemptions
    (168)
    • Take Action
      (109)
    • Threats to Exemptions
      (151)
  • Health Risks
    (147)
    • Anaphylaxis, Allergies, and Asthma
      (26)
    • Autism
      (55)
    • Brain and Neurological Injuries
      (37)
    • Cancer
      (3)
    • Decline in Children's Health
      (26)
    • Gulf War Syndrome
      (4)
    • Infertility
      (1)
    • Obesity and Diabetes
      (4)
    • Pregnancy – Risks to the Foetus
      (5)
    • SIDS-SBS
      (12)
  • Media
    (82)
  • Parents Speak
    (32)
  • Personal Stories
    (28)
  • Politics of Vaccination
    (39)
  • Resources
    (60)
    • Books & Periodicals
      (1)
    • PDF files
      (3)
    • Videos
      (0)
  • Specific Vaccines
    (225)
    • Chickenpox and Shingles Vaccines
      (12)
    • COVID-19 Vaccine
      (7)
    • Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, and Hib Vaccine
      (38)
    • Healthcare Worker & Student Vaccines
      (15)
    • Hepatitis-B Vaccine
      (20)
    • HPV Vaccine
      (19)
    • Influenza Vaccine
      (46)
    • Measles, Mumps, & Rubella Vaccine
      (47)
    • Meningococcal Disease Vaccine
      (9)
    • Pet Vaccines
      (1)
    • Pneumococcal Disease Vaccine
      (4)
    • Polio Vaccine
      (13)
    • Rotavirus Vaccine
      (1)
    • Smallpox Vaccine
      (4)
    • Travel Vaccines
      (1)
  • Vaccine Alternatives
    (13)
    • Vaccine Alternatives – General
      (7)
    • Vaccine Alternatives – Specific Infections
      (6)
  • Vaccine Ingredients
    (69)
    • Aluminum
      (23)
    • Biological Ingredients
      (15)
    • Chemical Ingredients
      (15)
    • Food Allergens
      (4)
    • Mercury
      (24)
    • Oil-based Adjuvants
      (11)

Join Vaccine Choice Canada

To support our educational and outreach work , please join Vaccine Choice Canada today. Sign Me Up!

Log In


Lost your password?

About Vaccine Choice Canada

Vaccine Choice Canada is a volunteer run, federally registered … read more

Our Mission

Vaccine Choice Canada (formerly VRAN) continues the work of … more

Disclaimer

The contents of this website are for informational purposes … more

Vaccine Choice Canada logo

Find More on

  • Decline in Children's Health
    (26)
  • Doctors Speak
    (54)
  • Exemptions
    (129)
  • Health Risks
    (39)
  • Parents Speak
    (32)
  • Personal Stories
    (28)
  • Resources
    (59)
  • Specific Vaccines
    (92)
  • Vaccine Alternatives
    (8)
  • Vaccine Ingredients
    (22)

Personal Stories

Susan’s Flu Vaccine Reaction

In 2013, I contracted the H1N1 strain of flu.  I was deathly … [Read More...]

My Journey with Vaccine Awareness and a closer look at Vaxxed vs. Unvaxxed

I was born in the mid 1980’s and was fully vaccinated as a … [Read More...]

A story of my grandson’s visit, discovery of his autism, and how he recovered

By Shanna Mi    November 2019 It was a glorious late … [Read More...]

Laura’s Story

July 2002 Today is my daughter's sweet 16th birthday but … [Read More...]

More Personal Stories

Featured Articles

A Pandemic of Fraud

Fraud - wrongful or criminal deception intended to result … [Read More...]

News Nuggets March 3, 2021 – Top News Items

Compiled by Edda West FEATURES Death Rates Skyrocket … [Read More...]

Dear Elected Representatives and school board officials re: COVID-19

Parent's Initiative - Sample Letter for Parents to send to … [Read More...]

Canadian Frontline Nurses Speak Out

Kristen Nagle at the Vancouver, BC Freedom Rally February … [Read More...]

More News Articles

Copyright © 2021 Vaccine Choice Canada