Earlier this week, Councillor Patrick Nardi, mayor of Port Perry, Ontario, asked another woman if she had been given any benefit or testimonials from medical institutions, according to a recent report by The Star News. By asking her such a personal question, he prompted a backlash from an outraged public. When the woman replied that she didn’t “know” what he was talking about, he asked if she’d been given a COVID-19 vaccine.
According to The Star News, the city’s director of democratic services, Jim Kovach, said the mayor “incorrectly noted what I had told him” and that he will review what actions to take against him. So far, the mayor has maintained his innocence.
The alleged question came from a county councillor who approached Nardi at an April 15th town hall meeting and was thinking of asking a question in his favour, as he had been invited to. The councillor asked Nardi to clarify his query and Nardi replied with the information about the COVID-19 vaccine.
The mayor then asked the woman if she was receiving any benefits from the COVID-19 vaccine, saying “the more we learn from it, the more we learn from vaccines.”
According to Kovach, he “offered a suggestion to Dr. Stephen Tyler — the oncologist who has been quoted many times and has done much research into the vaccine – that he could respond to Councillor Nardi at the next meeting of the Port Perry Health and Wellness Committee.”
Meanwhile, Councillor Nicole LeBlanc, the councillor who originally asked the question, has reportedly received a verbal rebuke from the mayor.
“Unfortunately, this incident highlighted the questions that some people ask, without asking any questions of their own,” Kovach added. “I am disappointed to see how some people are approaching me and Councillor LeBlanc at the Town Hall. Unfortunately, this incident highlighted the questions that some people ask, without asking any questions of their own.”
The deputy mayor at the time of the incident is quoted as saying that, due to “recent media reports” about Nardi’s previous job, “that issue should be brought to a council meeting and addressed … after careful consideration.”
A supporter of the mayor, Councillor Kevin Dunn, told the Star News that “a majority of councillors don’t understand” the reason for “his statements.” However, the head of the United Church at Port Perry said in his statement that the mayor’s “questions (were) alarmingly invasive, frankly, and could lead to some serious backlash, since the medical community and the minister are both adamant that this vaccine should not be advertised as a cause of any health issue.”
The OPP confirmed to The Star News that they are currently investigating the mayor’s actions.
Read the full story at The Star News.
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