Dozens of Ontario paramedics rallied behind a colleague Thursday who has been suspended for refusing to get a flu shot.

But the province's health minister defended the mandatory inoculation, arguing it's a responsible way to protect ambulance workers and other members of the public. Tony Clement called it a "responsible limit in a free and democratic society."




For years, paramedics have been immunized against a range of infections, including polio, hepatitis B, measles, mumps and chicken pox. In May 2000, the government of Ontario added flu shots to the list.

Many ambulance workers were upset by the new rule. Some expressed doubts about the effectiveness of the flu shots, while many were angry because other health care workers were not required to have them.




The province has been letting local municipalities administer the legislation, and critics say the rules aren't being enforced evenly across Ontario.

For instance, fewer than one out of 10 paramedics in Toronto have agreed to have the flu shot, according to the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).

A North Bay paramedic, Bill Kotsopoulos, was suspended Dec. 22 for refusing to get a flu shot. He's the first ambulance worker in the province to be punished for not getting a needle, according to the Ontario Paramedic Association.

CUPE argues that workers should have the right to refuse having a substance put in their body if they don't think it's safe or necessary.

After Thursday's protest in Toronto, several paramedics hopped on a bus and went to North Bay for a rally outside the community's hospital.