Canadian couple who got vaccine meant for Indigenous people may face jail time

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

Canadian couple who got vaccine meant for Indigenous people may face jail time

Rodney and Ekaterina Baker were served with court notice, said Yukon community services minister

Leyland Cecco in Toronto
Thu 28 Jan 2021 17.32 GMT

A millionaire Canadian couple who secretly travelled to a remote community to receive a coronavirus vaccine meant for vulnerable and elderly Indigenous residents may now face jail sentences for breaking public health rules.

Casino executive Rodney Baker and his wife, Ekaterina Baker, an actor, were widely condemned after it emerged that they had chartered a plane to a remote community in the Yukon territory, where they posed as local motel employees to receive the vaccine.

They were fined C$2,300 (US$1,800) for violating Yukon’s Civil Emergency Measures Act, but community leaders argued that the penalty would be insignificant for the wealthy couple: Baker resigned from his position as a casino executive on Sunday but records show he made a C$45.9m profit on stock options over the past 13 months.

Amid growing outrage, the Yukon community services minister announced on Wednesday that the couple’s tickets had been stayed and they had been served with a notice to appear in court. If convicted, they could serve up to six months in jail.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/28/canada-couple-covid-vaccine-indigenous-people-jail-time

[orleans]

1. lucky they got their vaccines in case they have to go to jail

oh, who am i kidding?
they won't have to go to jail