Starting Friday, hundreds of federal inmates will start receiving the COVID vaccines as part of a pilot project. Ontario Premier Doug Ford calls it a huge mistake.

“Stop it. It is not good, not good at all to give the most dangerous criminals in our country vaccines over the most vulnerable,” Ford told reporters.

But when asked about inmates at provincial jails, Solicitor General Sylvia Jones admits they are on a priority list, after long term care residents and health care workers have been vaccinated.

“As we continue to vaccinate, certainly group homes, homes that have developmental disability, adults and children and congregate settings like our corrections facilities will be in the queue.”

Canada’s Safety Minister Bill Blair defends the decision.

“To identify those individuals most at risk, that includes elderly inmates with pre-existing health conditions that put them in that category as very high risk as well as health care workers in those institutions.”