Public education versus public health: Backlash over mandated vaccine disclosure and immunization clinics in schools
As Ontario health units intensify efforts to enforce compliance with the Immunization of School Pupils Act, an increasing number of parents are fighting to protect their children's privacy and put an end to the mandated disclosure of personal medical records.
In early February, the health unit overseeing Canada’s largest city held an in-school effort to vaccinate Grade 11 students and bring them into compliance with the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA).
This push by Toronto Public Health into schools has sparked significant concern regarding the overreach of Ontario’s Ministry of Health into the Ministry of Education’s domain. Parents, health privacy advocates, and concerned citizens are raising the alarm over what many view as a violation of personal medical privacy and autonomy.
Across Ontario, parents are facing pressure to submit their children's private health information or risk exclusion from education for up to one month, a situation that has led many to question how the diktats of public health align with informed consent and parental rights.
At the heart of the controversy is the tension between two pieces of legislation: the ISPA, which mandates the disclosure of students’ vaccination records, and PHIPA (Personal Health Information Protection Act), which is meant to protect individuals' private health data.
Earlier this month, Toronto Public Health conducted a "vaccination catch-up clinic" at a Toronto school to ensure students born in 2008 met ISPA requirements and avoided suspension. This clinic was organized with little notice and without public posting of the date, leading to concerns that parents were unaware of the mandatory clinic until the night before, if they checked their emails at all.
An email sent by the school indicated that students who were not up-to-date with vaccinations would be pulled from class for the clinic, raising questions about how health data is being handled (and protected) and the lack of boundaries between public health and the educational environment.
This is a clear breach of privacy. The event exposed students' vaccination status to school staff and peers, making private medical information public. This represents a flagrant violation of students' confidentiality and autonomy. The imposition of public health policies on private medical decisions is further exacerbated by the lack of parental oversight, particularly in situations that unfold outside the home or a healthcare setting.
The underlying issue with this mandatory disclosure is the unintended consequences it carries for both the students and their families. While the ISPA claims that it was designed to protect public health, the infiltration of public health in the educational sphere infringes on the sanctity of the doctor-patient relationship, with public health diktats now disregarding the ability to keep personal medical decisions private.
If it weren’t clear, Ottawa’s interim medical officer of health confirmed that suspension threats are an effective tool to coerce compliance with this data solicitation at the Board of Health meeting on February 10.
Another glaring issue is the psychological impact this plays on students who are singled out for their vaccination status, leading to stigma, discrimination, and exclusion, which disregards the very “inclusivity” and “tolerance” parroted in Ontario schools.
While ISPA does stipulate that exemptions are available, parents are concerned about the verbiage of the legally binding exemption affidavit if they opt not to submit their child’s vaccine records, namely consenting to the “Risks of not being vaccinated” section, which has some potentially self-incriminating wording.
"With the decision to delay or refuse vaccines, you are accepting responsibility that you are putting your child’s health and even life at risk…. Delaying or refusing vaccines for your child also puts others at risk of illness, especially children and adults in cancer treatment, those with heart or lung disease or diabetes, newborn babies and the elderly."
All in all, the local health unit's data collection efforts are designed to support the Public Health Agency of Canada's (PHAC) Panorama database, a $147 million initiative to track and trace health information, including vaccination records.
These centralized systems have repeatedly been shown to be prone to breaches, data leaks, and misuse of sensitive information, which only heightens fears of privacy violations and identity theft. These systems, often subjected to security lapses, could further expose Canadians to unauthorized access and exploitation of their health data.
Plus, PHAC hasn’t exactly been leading by ethical example in recent years. Overseen by Theresa Tam, PHAC previously hired private company BlueDot to collect Canadians' cellphone location data to evaluate compliance with public health measures throughout the COVID era, unbeknownst to the cellphone user.
In addition to that, PHAC has sought to monitor the online activity of vaccine-hesitant individuals by hiring a consultant to analyze social media conversations and historical data related to vaccination discussions, raising even more concerns about privacy and the collection of personal information without clear oversight.
Tam capitalized on the COVID-19 pandemic to execute exercises in behaviour modification techniques using industrial strength mind control, and apps, nudges and rewards to entice compliance – not only to track and trace medical records but also to monitor online activity.
All of these concerns aside, the broader question is – where do the lines between public health, education, and personal privacy get drawn? With provincial and federal health agencies collecting vast amounts of sensitive data, questions abound about how far governments can go in enforcing compliance and how to maintain fundamental human rights in the process.
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COMMENTS
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Lyn Pople commented 2025-02-22 11:02:15 -0500My children are grown now, but if I could do it all over again I would not have had my children vaccinated with certain vaccines.
Measles chickenpox were labeled and are childhood illnesses I had both. Somewhere along the line the powers that be re-categorized these to “disease”to have the ability to provide vaccines, why? At the time we were told “vaccinate to avoid the inconvenience that the illnesses cause due to spread. but once you have had these inconvenient illnesses the public gets herd immunity , so why?
Then came the flue shots and the shaming of those who did not subscribe to flue shots, but we did have a choice. Then came covid jabs with a choice under heavy coercion. At a time when people have lost trust with those who directed the pandemic
and their jab efficacies.
The government needs to back off and stay out of the collection of personal health data as time and again proving data breaches are common. Leave it to parents and their practitioners! Infringing on privacy rights as well Ontarian’s children’s rights to the education that we pay for.
Who allowed these people to think they can play God -
Eric Goddard commented 2025-02-22 11:01:33 -0500This coercion has been going on for years. In 2012, my son was expelled from grade 9 for a week, for a perceived measles case in the city. The school knew he wasn’t vaccinated because when we enrolled him we had to disclose that information or he wouldn’t get into the school. My son posed no threat to any of his classmates and he lost a valuable week of education, which effected his grades that year. Vilification of parents who chose not to vaccinate started back then and has gotten exponentially worse. Vaccine Choice Canada is a good source of information for parents. https://vaccinechoicecanada.com/ -
Joe Harvey commented 2025-02-22 09:44:19 -0500You’ve conflated public health with privacy in an attempt to presumably click bait for producing revenue for your cause. While I generally read/watch Rebel with much interest, in this case I believe you’re barking up the wrong tree when it comes to public schools. The Tam debacle & “Panorama” is a separate topic that is of concern, however, when it comes to my kids’ safety, no one is going to tell me that my tax dollars are being spent for unsafe environments where, potentially 20% of kids are unvaccinated. I guess you aren’t a reader of history when it comes to polio, measles and other childhood diseases that can do irrevocable harm. If one doesn’t want to participate in the greater community due to “privacy” concerns, there’s always private or home schooling. Are you suggesting that if there’s no oversight in kids’ vaccination histories that those who vaccinate their kids should be home schooling? Give your heads a shake. Ezra should know better.
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Bruce Atchison commented 2025-02-19 17:10:14 -0500Children belong to their parents, not the state. They must be the ones who decide what’s best for their kids, not some government hack.
