Of all the reasons onemight boycott Tim Hortons, an exceedingly vocal Canadian group isencouraging people to ditch their Double Doubles over vaccine mandates at a non-profit summer camp program for disadvantaged teens.
The hashtag #BoycottTimHortons started trending nationally on Twitter Saturday after self-described "Canadian Nationalist & Patriot" Mark Friesen posted a video alleging that "Tim Hortons is discriminating against children who aren't jabbed," calling COVID-19 vaccines unnecessary and potentially dangerous.
"Make this viral and let's force Tim's [sic] to change their policy!" he wrote in the caption of his clip, which has since been viewed more than 120,000 times.
The noted anti-vaxxer and former Peoples Party of Canada candidate was referring to a policy that requires all attendees of Tim Hortons Foundation Camps to be vaccinated against COVID-19 this summer.
The camps include kids who are immunocompromised, so do we discriminate against them instead?? Think about what your saying before you open your mouth
— bigpapaj77 🇨🇦 (@bigpapaj_77) May 6, 2022
While it didn't start gaining traction until this weekend, the policy had been called out weeks ago by a woman named Tamara Ugolini, who published an emailfrom a registration coordinator stating that the coffee giant's charity summer camps could not accommodate unvaccinated kids.
"Due to the challenges and risks that COVID-19 continues to pose we at Tims Camps have made the decision that all staff and campers must be fully vaccinated to attend camp this summer," reads the email, per Ugolini.
"It has always been our first priority to keep our youth and staff safe, and with public health guidance we believe this is the necessary route to take to keep the camp community as safe as possible... we respect the decision you and your camper have made about vaccinations. We know that this is a complex issue, and many factors are at play."
Ugolini subsequently started a petition demanding that Tim Hortons reverse its "overreaching vaccine policy."
#BoycottTimHortons .. stop camp segregation and human rights abuse... ALL children deserve to go to camp.. https://t.co/ecWy2CXyZA
— CanadaGuy64 / GETTR as @CanadaGuy64 (@CanadaGuy64) May 8, 2022See AlsoFresh Facts | Corporate
"Unfortunately, despite the government no longer enforcing a vaccine mandate, Tim Hortons still is," reads the petition. "Denying minors the ability to partake in fun activities is cruel and unwarranted. Kids have already missed out on so much, and Tim Hortons needs to let them camp!"
As of Monday morning, just over 19,600 had signed the document — and you can probably guess which side of the whole trucker protest debacle they fell on.
Like the truck convoy supporters who demanded an end to all pandemic-related public health restrictions earlier this year, supporters of the latest Tim Hortons boycott are furiously tweeting about their rights and freedoms.
"Incredibly stupid decision by the management at #BoycottTimHortons to segregate and stigmatize Canadian children," wrote one person using the hashtag. "The children — jabbed or not — are mixing everywhere else they go so why discriminate in the case of summer camp? Ridiculous and unscientific. Crap coffee too btw."
I’m driving around today with my car windows marked up for what I believe, is a great cause. #camp4all #BoycottTimHortons pic.twitter.com/0OTxhiQSWu
— Fierce 🐻Mama Bear🐻 (@lauren43688048) May 6, 2022
Others have been using the hashtag in recent days to make fun of and chide anti-vaxxer types.
"#BoycottTimHortons is a super weird hill to die on," wrote one Twitter user.
"You want to put immune compromised kids at risk of catching a possibly deadly virus? This is about protecting the vulnerable, while 'segregation' and 'discrimination' are about hatred; too bad you don't understand the difference."
"The solution is simple… no vaccine, no camp. Feel free to pay for a summer camp that doesn’t require vaccinations," wrote another. "[Your] body, your choice, but I wouldn't send my child to a camp that didn't require vaccinations. My child, my choice. See it works both ways!"
— OliveSaurusRex 🌻 (@OliveSaurusRex) May 9, 2022What’s it like to be so morally bankrupt that you’d use an image from actual segregation to reinforce your oppression fantasies.
I’m guessing, thin and unfulfilling
One of the more interesting developments with the hashtag has little to do with vaccine mandates or summer camps, however; critics of the iconic Canadian cafe chain are suggesting that there are probably better reasons to boycott Tim Hortons than camp rules — such as product quality and labour practices.
"All y'all using the #BoycottTimHortons are f*cking idiots," wrote one person. "If you're gonna boycott them, boycott them because their products suck. Stop trying to make this about your sh*tty world view."
"If you're #BoycottTimHortons over vaccinations mandates and not horrible working conditions and low pay unfollow me," wrote another.
"#BoycottTimHortons because of poor working conditions, wage theft, union busting, forcing people to work with Covid? No just about some anti-vaxx BS," wrote another Twitter user similarly.
If you’re gonna #BoycottTimHortons, do so because they don’t pay their employees a living wage, not because they want children to be safe at their camps.
— Slavic the Hedgehog (@the_ns) May 6, 2022
So, while Ontario has indeed lifted most pandemic restrictions, the "I wear mirrored sunglasses on Twitter" types are still finding ways to get angry / entertain themselves / adopt hating masks as an entire personality.
Tim Hortons has yet to respond to a request for comment from blogTO, and has notably refrained from replying to any messages using the #BoycottTimHortons hashtag on Twitter.
