Council colleagues ignore London politician’s latest bizarre COVID take

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A London metropolis councillor who’s pushed anti-mask and anti-vaccination rhetoric all through the COVID-19 pandemic was met with stony silence when he requested his colleagues to analyze the “oppression” created by vaccine mandates.

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A citizen advisory committee at metropolis corridor tackling variety, inclusion and anti-oppression points needs to be known as on to think about the potential for “coercion” and “oppression” of COVID-19 vaccine mandates, east-end Ward 1 Coun. Michael van Holst wrote in a letter to council colleagues.

There are not any public or widespread guidelines that require folks in London to be vaccinated towards COVID-19, although group and well being leaders are urging folks to get the shot to restrict the virus’s unfold and cut back extreme sickness that requires hospitalization.

However van Holst, a second-term politician, has a historical past of difficult scientific proof, together with public well being restrictions meant to restrict the unfold of COVID-19.

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He made his case Wednesday evening, saying he expects residents to ask metropolis council to mandate vaccines. That might “give rise to a few ethical dilemmas,” he stated.

None of his colleagues stepped as much as again his request, so it went nowhere.

Native public well being officers have supported rising calls to mandate vaccines in colleges, well being care amenities and different areas serving at-risk populations.

Earlier this week, London’s high public-health official, Dr. Chris Mackie, stated obligatory orders to vaccinate at colleges and well being care amenities could also be crucial to spice up the proportion of vaccinated Londoners over 90 per cent and “put the pandemic to mattress.”

Neither the Middlesex-London Well being Unit nor the province has made coronavirus vaccines obligatory and two of town’s largest establishments have stated they don’t have the ability to require their employees to get coronavirus vaccinations.

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London Well being Sciences Centre (LHSC), the area’s largest hospital community, has stated the choice to require all employees be vaccinated rests with the province.

Western College would require college students residing in residence to be vaccinated towards COVID-19 however gained’t prolong the coverage to different college students or employees on campus, with the college’s president saying “we really feel we’ve gone so far as we are able to go legally.”

One local law firm, McKenzie Lake Lawyers, has required all of its 150 staff to be vaccinated towards COVID-19 as a way to come to work. Those that aren’t totally vaccinated can search for work elsewhere, managing accomplice Mike Peerless stated.

Van Holst constantly has challenged the science round COVID-19 and questioned public well being recommendation, calling for an finish to stay-at-home orders early within the pandemic, selling inaccurate claims about vaccinations and saying indoor masking guidelines are “neurotic.”

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He’s often come below fireplace for different weird or offensive views at council. In 2019, van Holst was criticized for describing water fluoridation as “the Invoice Cosby of water remedy processes, as a result of it’s one thing that we’ve thought was irreproachable, however perhaps behind the scenes, it’s truly doing nice hurt.”

He’s additionally maintained people aren’t accountable for a altering local weather, beforehand calling the menace “exaggerated” and later asking metropolis corridor employees to hearken to “the skeptics.”

mstacey@postmedia.com