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Protesters stormed the Aurora LA Fitness gym in open defiance of the new provincial COVID-19 vaccine verification system Sept. 22.
The contingent of anti-vaxxers led by King resident Chris Sky entered the facility, live-streaming the altercation. The video shows Sky leading the group past the entrance without providing proof of double-vaccination status, as is now required at gyms under provincial rules.
“If you guys don’t want a lawsuit under your hands — it will be a lot worse than anything the government’s going to bring out — we’re going to walk in,” Sky said to staff at the entrance, before the video shows him and the group entering without further screening.
York Regional Police media relations officer Const. Laura Nicolle said officers responded to monitor the situation “and keep the peace, as we do in most protests.” She could not confirm if any charges were laid, or any other enforcement occurred.
Aurora LA Fitness directed a request for comment to the organization’s corporate headquarters, Fitness International LLC, which did not respond prior to publication.
Sky said in a video he chose the Aurora LA Fitness location because he works out there regularly.
He falsely claimed that the rules are a “directive” and not a law or a mandate. In fact, the vaccine verification system regulations are included in the Reopening Ontario Act, and an organization or individual that disobeys the act is liable to be fined or imprisoned.
Sky also said he would welcome police fining everyone in the demonstration and claimed the court would throw out any tickets. But legal experts have said vaccine mandates would likely pass legal muster.
Sky, also known as Chris Saccocia, has been charged multiple times for disobeying COVID-19 rules, including at an anti-lockdown demonstration in Thunder Bay April 27.
