#BoycottTimHortons: Tim Hortons' alleged vaccine mandate for campers inspires criticism, praise online
An apparent vaccine mandate for children attending Tim Hortons Foundation camps sparked rumblings of a boycott of the coffee chain over the weekend.
The hashtag #BoycottTimHortons was trending in Canada, sparked by an online petition that claims the coffee chain’s camps require campers to be vaccinated in order to attend. Many also took to the hashtag to come to the defence of the company’s decisions or highlight some of its alleged malpractices.
The boycott steamed from an article published in late April by Tamara Ugolini on Rebel News. The article includes an email it claims to be from the Foundation's registration coordinator, in which she writes:"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."
From there, a petition was launched on Rebel Media, claiming the decision by the company is “cruel and unwarranted” and is “barring those in need from attending their camps based on a private medical decision.” To date, the petition has 19,606 signatures.
Yahoo Canada News reached out to both Tim Hortons and the Tim Hortons Foundation Camps for comment and verification on their vaccination policy for campers but has yet to hear back.
The hashtag gave light on how divisive the issue of vaccinate mandates continues to be across the country.
#BoycottTimHortons The solution is simple… no vaccine, no camp. Feel free to pay for a summer camp that doesn’t require vaccinations. You 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!
— Charlene Buote (@charb55) May 6, 2022
I will never support any business that segregates and discriminates against certain children.@TimHortons your coffee is garbage anyway.#BoycottTimHortons
— Bret 🍁 (@Bret_Sears) May 7, 2022
I've been reading that Tim Hortons won't be allowing unvaxxed underprivileged teens to attend camp this summer.
What a joke. This is the entire point of camp: allowing kids to be a part of something amazing they've never experienced without discrimination.#BoycottTimHortons— Nicole Siemens (@nickysiemens13) May 7, 2022
Shame on @TimHortons for discriminating against children.
My family, and my children's families will NEVER go to your establishments ever again. #BoycottTimHortons— Franklin Fritz (@FranklinFritzy) May 9, 2022
I’ve been getting extra tims these lact couple of days❤️ #BoycottTimHortons
— 💟💙💟 (@tyongatonin) May 9, 2022
Reminder that Tim Hortons will only allow vaccinated children at their camps.
They are promoting segregation of children for a vaccine that does not stop transmission.#BoycottTimHortons— 🇨🇦Unacceptable CanadianGirl🇨🇦 (@AreOhEssEyeEe) May 7, 2022
Some pointed out that some campers attending the camp could be immunocompromised.
#BoycottTimHortons is a super weird hill to die on. 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— woodpiggy 🇨🇦🌲🇳🇱🌷 (@woopi_mboy) May 8, 2022
As someone who went to the camp personally, it's a camp for the underprivileged and not for the sick, but there are immunocompromised children present so it's a great decision they are doing regardless.
— Austin (@pottedbeanss) May 9, 2022
Others used the hashtag to criticize the company for other issues.
Tim Hortons
- Bought by an American company: silence
- Eliminated 40,000 jobs: silence
- Lobbies against minimum wage hikes: silence
- Eliminates paid breaks: silence
- Wants to protect immunocompromised children: “#BoycottTimHortons!”— Ben Johnson (@Ben_T_Johnson) May 7, 2022
#BoycottTimHortons because of poor working conditions, wage theft, union busting, forcing people to work with Covid? No just about some anti-vaxx BS.
— #IStandForPeace Only communism can save us 🍉🌈 (@CdnComrade) May 8, 2022
#BoycottTimHortons It’s been almost a month since I have stopped working for a Tim Hortons located in Ottawa and Have still never received my last pay. This company should’ve been boycotted a while ago.
— Caleb Salter (@CalebSalter104) May 9, 2022
Don't #BoycottTimHortons because of vaccine mandates! #BoycottTimHortons Because their food is inedible and their coffee is sub par even to Gas Station standards.
— Canadian SPIRIT Podcast - on hiatus. (@spirit_canadian) May 9, 2022
Tim Hortons Foundation Camps was founded in 1974 and aim to serve teens, aged 12-16, from underserved communities. While campers get to experience traditional outdoor camping activities, like canoeing and overnight expeditions, they also attend workshops on practical things like creating a budget and building a career path.
