Quesnel, Williams Lake residents gather to protest vaccine passports

Dunrovin Park Lodge in Quesnel and the Curling Rink parking lot in Williams Lake were the scenes of protests against vaccine passports in BC.

One of the protesters in Quesnel, Tamara, says getting the vaccine should be a choice, and people’s jobs should not be in jeopardy for choosing not to get it.

“We do have a lot of questions and not many of them are being answered,” Tamara says, “They’re not being very forthcoming with some of the concerns we have. They’re making us look like we’re horrible people and that’s not the case. We want to make sure we’re making the right choice for our families and we shouldn’t have to be pushed into getting it.”

Tamara says she also has concerns about adverse reactions to the vaccine.

“There are a lot of people that are speaking out that have had adverse reactions. So could I be one of those people, could anyone in this group be one of those people,” she says, “They’ve been speaking about possible infertility issues, how do they know that.   Is that going to be an issue later on? People having neurological issues, like Bell’s Palsy.”

She also says she has been ostracized for not getting the vaccine.

“People are wishing harm on us now. It’s awful. We had one fellow come up and he said: “I don’t wish you guys bad luck but I hope you guys get it, you know get COVID.”  I had a young man say “I hope you get it and I hope you die.” We don’t wish death on anybody that’s got it. We’re only doing what we’re doing because we’re concerned.”

Chloe Pelley, one of the organizers of the Williams Lake protest, says this is the second rally they’ve had in the Lake City.

“We had one last week with over 250 people who attended, and another one in 100 Mile House last night with over 100 people,” Pelley explains, “We just want our voices to be heard.”

Lee Haggard, another organizer of the Williams Lake protest, says they are also petitioning for a referendum on the COVID-19 passports, which has about 600 signatures.