Anti-COVID-19 vaccine billboard in West Kelowna catches social media attention

An anti-COVID-19 vaccine billboard has caught some attention.

Vaccine Choice Canada's billboard messages are posted in West Kelowna along Highway 97 and take aim at a COVID-19 vaccine.

They offer messages like “is the cure worse than the illness?”

 In October the organization posted an open letter to provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, arguing that there wouldn't be a second wave of COVID-19.

The organization also filed a lawsuit in the summer against the federal government, health officials, Ontario politicians and the CBC, arguing that social distancing and mask-wearing can cause harm and is not "scientifically proven," and that a mandatory vaccine would be unconstitutional.

Anti vaxxer group spent some coin on these new digital billboards in West Kelowna. pic.twitter.com/LSCvvrh86z

— Hello Kelowna (@HelloKelowna) November 6, 2020

This isn’t the first time the group has bought anti-vaccine messages to the area. In 2019, they launched a billboard campaign in the Okanagan about national vaccine injury compensation along with billboard campaigns in other provinces.

READ MORE: Anti-vaccine message campaign rolls through the Okanagan

Then, like now, Interior Health reinforced the need to follow prevailing health wisdom.

"Interior Health hopes that the public will rely on trusted and accurate public health information, such as that provided regularly by Dr. Bonnie Henry, Interior Health medical health officers and the BC Centre for Disease Control," according to a statement from the health authority.

Last month, Health Canada was in talks with all of the vaccine developers that signed supply deals with the federal government to kick-start the approval process and get COVID-19 vaccines to Canadians.

Public Services and Procurement Canada said in October that it signed deals with the makers of six COVID-19 vaccines, that will see Canada spend more than $1 billion to get guaranteed access to between 20 million and 76 million doses of each one if they are approved.

All have to complete clinical trials and be deemed both safe and effective at preventing or lessening the effect of COVID-19, but before they can be used here, Health Canada also has to decide they meet its standards as well.

Jim Wannop, president of BCbillboards.ca, which owns the billboards, declined an interview request but said via email that the company has been receiving positive messages during the last 24 hours about the Vaccine Choice Canada ad. The Westbank First Nation and Vaccine Choice Canada could not be immediately reached for comment.

– With files from the Canadian Press

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