Almost 150K raised for Kelowna anti-vax family who weren't evicted from Ronald McDonald House

Even though the B.C. Ronald McDonald House implemented a vaccine mandate, the charity claims it was never planning on hanging the unvaccinated out to dry.

Yet nearly $175,000 has been fundraised for the Furgasons – a Kelowna family that claims to have been evicted from the charity’s Vancouver location.

Austin Furgason was staying there at no cost with his 4-year-old son Jack who has leukaemia. The father received a letter from the Ronald McDonald House dated Jan. 10, which stated that vaccines would be required starting on Jan. 17. The letter didn’t clarify that accommodations would be sought for families with unvaccinated members.

Furgason apparently considered that letter to be an eviction notice because after receiving it he was recorded confronting a manager at the facility and that video garnered national media attention after it was shared online.

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According to a Jan. 15 post on Furgason’s Facebook account, that has since been deleted, he said he applied for his family to stay at an Easter Seals facility, which is also located very close to the B.C. Children's Hospital.

“… there was in fact no way they could’ve known I would’ve been accepted there,” Furgason’s post read.

He complained that “the news” never asked for his side of the story but he did not respond to a request for comment. His Facebook post also claimed that all vaccine mandates are crimes against humanity and completely evil.

In an email, the Ronald McDonald House clarified that the Furgason family was not evicted. Shannon Kidd, vice president of external relations and development, said that if an exemption couldn’t be made for them by Jan. 31, then the organization would have provided them with another accommodation in the city.

Furgason didn't learn about that until after he received the letter and confronted the employee. 

When Kidd was asked how it feels to be criticized so harshly for trying to mitigate the spread of COVID at a place for sick children, she called the situation unfortunate.

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The decision to implement a mandate was based on the highest standards of health and safety, she said. However, the mandate couldn't have been issued sooner, despite health and safety concerns, because it required months of consultation with lawyers and colleagues. 

It’s been in the works for several months - voted on by the board in October, after considerable consultation with legal and our national colleagues, Kidd said. There have been no COVID outbreaks at the Ronald McDonald House in Vancouver thanks to stringent protocols, she added.

With vulnerable populations living in a communal environment at the house, she emphasized that health and safety are high priorities.

“And while the board was prepared for some discussion and questions from families as it pertained to each unique situation, the expectation was that the implementation would proceed smoothly,” Kidd said in the written statement.

Ronald McDonald House is a 73-bedroom residence that allows families to stay for free while a child is receiving care at the B.C. Children’s Hospital, which is located on the same block.

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