A spokesperson for OutFront Media, the advertising company that ran anti-vaccine advertisements, told Global News the ads have been removed from the company’s billboards.
Vaccination Choice Canada, a group that urges people to get educated about the risks of immunizations, launched a massive ad campaign across Toronto on Thursday. Four messages were set to rotate over more than 50 digital billboards for two weeks.
The ads were displayed in prominent locations around Toronto and included messages such as, “Educate before you vaccinate,” “What are the risks?” and “How many is too many?”
Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott openly disagreed with the messaging promoted by Vaccination Choice Canada and urged Toronto residents to be wary of vaccinations is “very concerning.”
Elliott said there’s a lot of public misinformation about vaccinations, adding the government will continue to urge people to be vaccinated against a variety of conditions.
A spokesman for the group behind the campaign said the campaign is meant to encourage parents to educate themselves on vaccines, but Toronto Public Health described the blitz as based around “half-truths.”
With files from Gabby Rodrigues and Erica Vella.