Quebec residents bribing health officials to fake proof of vaccination: sources

A man recently went to a Montreal vaccination centre and asked a public health official to give him the COVID vaccine in a private booth. He allegedly offered the nurse hundreds of dollars to fake his proof of vaccination.

The nurse refused and called security. The unidentified man fled.

The health ministry confirmed by email that the incident happened. "To date, we have not received any confirmation from our public safety partners of the involvement of a network employee," the email states, adding that it is impossible to identify how many people have attempted to bribe health staff.

When asked if suspected employees will be investigated, the ministry referred CTV to the CIUSSS West-Central Montreal. Spokesperson Carl Theriault also confirmed by email that "there was a recent attempt at corruption in one of our vaccination sites." However, he declined to comment further "so as not to interfere with the ongoing police investigation."

A CIUSSS East Montreal spokesperson confirmed, "there have been a few recent attempts at fraud in our vaccination sites" and "our employees have been made aware of this issue and are very vigilant."

They warned employees that the ministry could detect faked proof of vaccination, adding that there are severe penalties for those responsible, including disbarment.

The ministry insisted "tight controls" within the department prevent fraud. An awareness campaign to educate staff on identifying and preventing fraud or corruption is underway.

A gym in Lac-Brome, Quebec, east of Montreal, committed to a policy requiring proof of vaccination for staff and customers on Monday. The gym owner called for the province to have a "little more guts to extend the directive."

Quebec Health Minister Christian Dube announced on Tuesday that non-essential businesses must require proof of vaccination as of September 1. Quebec Premier Francois Legault said that he wouldn't be willing to lock the province back down again.