Hon. Lisa MacLeod, MPP, Nepean
Jeremy Roberts, MPP, Ottawa West – Nepean
Hon. Merrilee Fullerton, MPP, Kanata-Carleton
Goldie Ghamari, MPP, Carleton

Thursday, June 17, 2021

Dear Ottawa colleagues,

The experience of trying to re-book an accelerated second vaccine appointment has left too many Ottawa seniors frustrated, angry and forced to participate in an unnecessary vaccine scavenger hunt with no guarantee of success.

Since your government’s announcement three weeks ago, encouraging seniors and others to accelerate their second dose appointment, seniors in our communities have continued to be plagued with difficulties booking through the central online portal. They are waiting hours online or over the phone only to be told when it’s their turn that no appointments are available.

The Minister of Health confirmed in a letter to Mayor Watson last week that Ottawa has not been receiving its per capita share of vaccines. Demand to re-book appointments continues to outpace available supply.

In response to the Mayor’s June 7 letter requesting an additional 40,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses from the province, the government provided Ottawa Public Health with 5,000 doses, which were administered within two days.

It is our collective responsibility to ensure that all Ottawa seniors receive their first and second vaccine doses as quickly and easily as possible. Mayor Watson’s simple and reasonable request for additional doses will also enable Ottawa Public Health to administer more doses daily, optimizing their full capacity.

On behalf of Ottawa’s seniors and those now eligible to accelerate their second vaccine appointment, we ask that you work with your government to prioritize the additional delivery of doses to our city. It will also make booking a second dose less frustrating and time consuming for many.

Sincerely,

John Fraser, MPP for Ottawa South
Stephen Blais, MPP for Orléans
Lucille Collard, MPP for Ottawa-Vanier
Amanda Simard, MPP for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell