The City of Toronto publish an ad pushing vaccination on children and then deleted it today.
The video in question shows a young girl sitting in the house sadly looking at the window watching other kids playing.
The girl asks her mom if she is allowed to go play outside with her friends, in which the mother replies, No honey” from off screen “there’s still something going around”.
The kid replies “Okay” and looks out the window at her friends playing as text flashes onto the screen.
“Kids should be out there. Not in here. Covid-19 vaccines available for children 6 months to 12 years.”
One Twitter user retweeted the ad in response to another Twitter post saying
“But Toronto say kids shouldn’t go outside to play with their friends until they get the 💉…playing outside is EXTREMELY DANGEROUS!!!”
The posted another tweet saying “This ad is manipulative, dishonest, and gross.”
Anthony Furey quote tweeted the ad saying “What an awful, offensive ad. The City of Toronto suggests unvaccinated children — which are about half of the city’s children — shouldn’t be allowed to go outside and play.”
A journalist for True North made to takes of this ad in one Tweet. The City of Toronto is either saying “unvaccinated” children need to be locked up in house arrest or that the parents are holding their children captive in the house.
“The City of Toronto is implying that unvaccinated children should be kept indoors and away from their friends, or that parents who don’t vaccinate their children are keeping them from playing with their friends. What a despicable PSA”
After much criticism of the ad, the City of Toronto deleted it and issued a statement.
“The City removed a tweet and video from earlier today. We always strive to ensure clear understanding, especially about vaccinations, and will work to ensure greater clarity in the future.”
However there was no apology for the distasteful ad.
City of Toronto spokesperson Brad Ross told Toronto Sun reporter Joe Warmington that the campaign “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.”
“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,” Ross said.
This isn’t the only video that has made it to the publics eye as True North’s Andrew Lawton pointed out there is a string of videos. Another shows an infant in a crib with off screen voices admiring the newborn. Shortly after the camera pans to show someone on a video call with the infant
In one, a voice is heard offscreen cooing over a newborn. Eventually the camera shows that the voice is coming through someone on the other end of a video call with the infant.
“Don’t miss these moments,” text appears on screen. “Get connected (in real life). Covid-19 vaccines available for children 6 months to 12 years.”
“She should be in school,” the screen tells viewers. “Covid-19 vaccines available for children 6 months to 12 years.”
Another video shows a mom logging in to a meeting on zoom doing work from home, her child opens the door in the background of the home office as the dad comes in to get them and text appears in the middle of the screen saying “She should be in school”
There’s currently no vaccine requirements for kids to go to elementary or secondary schools in Ontario.
In the statement Ross sent to Warmington, it says the videos were “created by staff and community ambassadors,” and that elected officials, such as Toronto Mayor John Tory, “were not involved in any way.”
