City of Toronto Pulls Child Vaccination Ad Within Hours Amid Heavy Criticism

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The City of Toronto has pulled an ad promoting COVID-19 vaccination for children that depicted a little girl staying indoors out of the fear of the pandemic.

The ad, posted on social media, showed a girl inside her home looking at other children playing outside, and asking her mother, “Hey mom, can I go outside and play with my friends?”

To which her mother replies, “No honey, there’s still something going around.”

“OK,” the girl responds, while continuing to look out the window with a sad expression on her face.

The ad finishes with the message, “Kids should be out there. Not in here. COVID-19 vaccines available for children 6 months to 12 years. Thank you for getting vaccinated,” with a link to the city’s information website on COVID-19.

The Epoch Times contacted the city for comment but didn’t immediately hear back.

Toronto Sun journalist Joe Warmington posted a screen capture of his exchange with a city spokesperson on Twitter, which showed the spokesperson saying the video didn’t communicate their intended message satisfactorily.

“We do believe we can better communicate this intent and, as such, we have removed the video to better address the core message of children being eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to protect them, their families, their friends and the community as a whole,” said City of Toronto chief communications officer Brad Ross, according to the screen capture.

“The video created was intended to highlight the negative impact [the pandemic] has had on children and drive home the benefits of vaccine, as vaccination remains the most effective way to protect our children, families, communities and ourselves against the serious effects of COVID-19.”

The ad received a large volume of negative feedback online.

“This is some sick and twisted government propaganda and manipulation using taxpayer money,” said New Blue Party of Ontario leader Jim Karahalios on Twitter.

“There is a really dark subtext to this ad. Really, really dark,” tweeted lawyer and political commentator Ari Goldkind.

Health Canada approved the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 6 months to less than 5 years old this month, and approved Moderna’s vaccine for the same age group in July.

Denmark has stopped vaccination for those under 18, and the UK has limited child vaccination to only those who are at a high risk due to a health condition or a weakened immune system.

Data from Public Health Ontario shows the COVID-19 death rate of those aged from 0 to 19 to be 0.6. Out of a population of over 3.1 million in that age category, the province had 19 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.

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Peter Wilson is a reporter based in Ontario, Canada.

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