Man Boasting About Not Being Vaccinated Says He's Stranded After Airport Kicked Him Out
A Canadian vaccine skeptic activist has claimed he is now stranded in Toronto after reportedly being denied entry onto an airplane.
Patrick King of Red Deer, Alberta, had been in Ontario to attend a vaccine-skeptic demonstration in burger restaurant Peterburgers in Peterborough, according to Toronto news site BlogTO.
The burger joint had recently challenged public health orders around vaccine requirements being needed to eat at restaurants and visit bars among other facilities.
But, on his return to Toronto Pearson International Airport, King said he had been denied entry onto his flight home.
In a November 30 Facebook live video, King said: "Well, here it is guys, there's your proof—I cannot get on an airline. I am stuck, officially stuck, in Toronto—even with the PCR test, even with the vax [vaccine] control program. All of it."
"I have just been denied service that I have paid for. I have paid for this service to get onto this plane, and now I'm being denied."
King claimed to be exempt from needing to be vaccinated and that they did not accept the PCR test done before the flight.
He added: "They did not follow that I have a control group saying that I cannot be vaccinated. They're done. WestJet is about to get the biggest f***ing lawsuit in the whole f***ing world.
"And I'm done. You poked the wrong f***ing bear."
King previously gained fame among vaccine skeptics and anti-lockdown advocates after he claimed Alberta authorities had no evidence COVID-19 exists when challenging a fine related to a breach of COVID-19 restrictions.
His claims were debunked and King was ultimately found guilty of breaching COVID-19 restrictions in Alberta.
A WestJet spokesperson told Newsweek: "As of November 30, 2021, in line with the Government of Canada's Federal mandate, guests 12 years and four months or older, are required to provide proof of vaccination to travel with the WestJet Group, with narrow exceptions.
"While there are allowances for medical and religious exemptions that meet the Government's prescribed criteria, these requests are required to be submitted a minimum of two weeks in advance of travel to request a medical exemption, and three weeks in advance of travel to request a religious exemption. Submitting a request for an exemption does not mean that it will be approved.
"The WestJet Group is obligated to follow the federal government's direction for issuing exemptions, as governed by the applicable legislation. This final legislation was released on November 30th, and we are now accepting exemption requests for travel that meet the timelines stated above."
As of November 30, a valid COVID-19 test would no longer be accepted as an alternative to vaccination for travel within Canada and people must instead be fully vaccinated.
The Canadian government does, however, allow for "a limited exemption to this requirement," which includes "sincere religious beliefs," "emergency travel" and the "medical inability to be vaccinated."
According to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO), people can request medical exemption forms and can be approved if they had a medical document that supports their claim.
The CPSO did stress "there are very few medical exemptions to the COVID-19 accusation," but that they could include immunologist-confirmed severe allergy or anaphylactic reaction to a previous dose of the vaccine.
