Ottawa paramedic charged with forging COVID-19 vaccination documents
An Ottawa paramedic charged with using a fraudulent COVID-19 vaccine certificate in order to keep his job has been fired from the service.
Police say the man obtained his certificate by submitting forged documents and attesting he had received two vaccination doses from a provincial vaccine clinic.
The city of Ottawa informed police about the man’s fraudulent certificate last Thursday.
Ali Abdelgani, 30, was arrested Wednesday and charged with uttering a forged document, obtaining by false pretence and forgery. City officials confirmed Thursday afternoon that the paramedic has been terminated from the Ottawa Paramedic Service.
He was released on a promise to appear in court.
The city initially told all employees they must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Monday. However, on Thursday they extended the deadline to Nov. 15.
Police are reminding people that selling, buying, using or accepting false COVID-19 vaccination credentials is a criminal offence.
“Participating in such offences puts everybody at risk and fragilizes our community’s public health,” police said in a news release.
Mayor Jim Watson said if the employee is convicted, he should be fired as a paramedic.
"We have to give the individual their day in court, but if those facts are in fact true, that’ s...a breach of trust on the part of that individual," Watson told Newstalk 580 CFRA's Leslie Roberts on Thursday. "I’m not sure why they would go to that trouble to do that.
"They should be treated accordingly."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.