NDP Lindo calls on Ford Government to prioritize vaccines for hard-hit communities in Kitchener

QUEEN’S PARK – NDP MPP Laura Mae Lindo (Kitchener Centre) has released this statement in response to communities in Kitchener Centre being left off the "hot spot" list in the Ford government’s vaccine rollout:

"For months now, Waterloo Region Public Health has advocated for Waterloo Region to be designated a high priority community, and to ensure that hot spots like Victoria Hills, in my community of Kitchener, be prioritized in the vaccine roll out.

Many residents in Kitchener, including Victoria Hills, are frontline health care heroes. They are our essential workers at grocery stores, in trucking, in restaurants, hotels and retail outlets. They are our small business community. They are racialized. They are women. They are newcomers. They are lower waged. They take public transit to get to work. They are bus drivers. They are education workers. And the people in communities like Victoria Hills have been left off of the hot spot list released by the Ford government yesterday. They need more than standing ovations at Queen's Park, they need to be protected and prioritized for vaccines.

I am urging the Ford government to designate communities in Kitchener, including Victoria Hills, as priorities for vaccines so we can avoid more infections, reduce the pressure on our hospital system, and save lives.”