Wong-Tam to Step Down as Vice President of Toronto Board of Health – Toronto | The Canadian News

Toronto Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam says she will be stepping down as vice president of the Toronto Board of Health next month.

The announcement came amid criticism over an op-ed on COVID-19 vaccines wrote in the Toronto Sun last week.

Wong-Tam, a Toronto Center councilor, said she sought to “promote dialogue and civility” with the op-ed, which denounced the political divide that arises as a result of COVID-19 vaccines.

But Wong-Tam faced criticism on social media after stating in the article that vaccinated people are just as likely to spread COVID-19 as those who are not.

“Unfortunately, I made an honest mistake with the information I shared from an August 2021 memo from the Medical Director of Health,” Wong-Tam said in a statement Monday.

“That memo is out of date and the context in which I shared it was misleading and left the wrong impression. For that, I am very sorry.

“In summary, I think the scientific evidence is clear: vaccines are a fundamental tool to end the pandemic. Everyone who can should get their vaccine. The more people vaccinated we have, the less transmission we will have ”.

In the statement, Wong-Tam again called for respect when speaking of COVID-19 vaccines and said that those who have not yet been vaccinated due to “genuine concerns” should not be treated with disdain.

Wong-Tam also said he is “honestly in conflict” over the vaccine mandates.

“I want to do everything I can to protect essential public services while recognizing that BIPOC communities are widely represented among those who are not vaccinated,” he said.

“I want them vaccinated as soon as possible, but I don’t like seeing them lose their jobs and I don’t like that the City has to cut back on public services that benefit the communities that need them most.”

Wong-Tam went on to say that his appointment as vice chairman of the Toronto Board of Health ends next month and that he will not extend it.

She told Global News that her decision to walk away from office is “a combination of things, between chairing two other committees in addition to my heavy workload downtown, and now this incident. Honestly, I’m stiff. “

Wong-Tam said he would still like to serve as a general member of the health board if the council members agree.

See link »