A highway billboard in West 琉璃神社 has been deemed misleading, following a review by .

The organization, which act as the self-regulatory body for Canada鈥檚 advertising agency, investigated a controversial billboard in West 琉璃神社, said to contain anti-vaccine messaging.

It was reported in November 2020 that the billboard contained the message, 鈥淐OVID - Is the cure worse than the illness?鈥� with a 鈥淪orry, We鈥檙e Closed鈥� sign beside, and a website url for Vaccinechoicecanada.com.

Ad Standards council ultimately determined that, 鈥渢he general impression created by the advertisement was that a vaccine as a cure for COVID-19 is, or could be, worse than contracting the disease itself.鈥�

Council determined the advertiser provided no evidence to support this claim.

鈥淐ouncil was further unaware of any competent and reliable evidence currently available to support such a position; in fact, Health Canada鈥檚 authorization for the first COVID-19 vaccine (which was imminent at the time Council met and expected because of approval in the UK) would suggest otherwise.

鈥淎t the time of this decision, Council had no evidence before it to support the position that the vaccine was, or could be, worse than contracting COVID-19 as a general proposition.鈥�

The advertisement was found to be misleading, in contravention of Clause 1 of the , which demands accuracy and clarity in advertising.

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