Anti-vaccine passport rallies drew some crowds Wednesday but the numbers were not as big as last week’s anti-COVID rallies.
An event called Uniting Businesses for Freedom of Choice advertised the events Wednesday, saying they will start at 1 p.m. with the goal of “empowering businesses, employees and shoppers.”
Rallies were set for city halls across B.C., including Vancouver, Nanaimo, Kelowna, Penticton, Kamloops and Fort St. John.
In Vancouver, dozens of people showed up at city hall and ended up blocking traffic on Cambie Street for some time.
The protesters could be heard chanting “lock her up” in connection with provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry. A similar chant was also heard at the rally last week.
A much smaller crowd gathered outside Kelowna City Hall at the same time as the Vancouver event.
There were also city halls mentioned in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec.
The event posted states everyone should “stand together” to “reject the tyranny of vaccine passports.”
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Around 1:30 p.m. a crowd had gathered outside Vancouver’s City Hall, which is close to Vancouver General Hospital.
In Vancouver, a climate rally took place with similar events set for about 60 communities across the country.
The activists called for climate action to be a greater priority in the election campaign.
The rally was held outside the CBC building and activists said the record heat and fires B.C. experienced this summer are examples of how bad the issue of climate change is becoming.
The event finished with a short march through the downtown core.
Vancouver police told Global News they were aware of both events and had officers on hand.
Last week, it was estimated about 5,000 people showed up outside Vancouver General Hospital, demonstrating for “health freedom.”
The crowd voiced opposition to COVID-19 protocols and vaccine mandates and caused traffic disruptions, including forcing ambulances to slow down.
No arrests were made, but Doctors of BC president Dr. Matthew Chow told Global News it was a very distressing event for health-care workers.
“People were spat at, cursed at, yelled at, women had misogynist comments directed at them, people were being yelled at through megaphones,” he said. “It just compounded the sense of fatigue and burnout people have been having.”
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