Grande Prairie RCMP investigating after man offered cash to falsify vaccine record at shelter
CBC
RCMP in northern Alberta are investigating an incident outside a homeless shelter where a man was approached by a stranger with an offer of cash if he would get the COVID-19 vaccine using the stranger's identification.
Const. Chantelle Kelly said that the incident happened on September 17th at a shelter in Grande Prairie.
"RCMP received a complaint that a male near Wapiti House was approached by an unknown male offering to give him money to get the COVID vaccination under his name."
According to Kelly, it is still not clear if the shot was administered and the investigation is ongoing. RCMP did not supply any other information on the identities of either man.
Jared Gossen is a project lead at Wapiti House and has worked with the city's vulnerable population since 2015. He says it is a tight-knit community within the city of just under 70,000. He said he's concerned about the incident.
"There is always going to be people looking to fraud the system and often vulnerable people are caught in the middle," he said.
Gossen said there has been steady vaccine uptake among the people they work with but for those living with addiction or dealing with homelessness, it's often not a top priority.