Michael van Holst—a Canadian politically conservative councilman for Ward 1 in London, Ontario—got more than he bargained for when canvassing in one neighborhood.
Van Holst is currently campaigning for another term on the city council. But he was not greeted positively by one woman who answered her door only to succinctly call him out for being an anti-vaxxer.
You can watch the encounter in the video below.
\u201cThis is Michael Van Holst, an anti-vax city councilman in Canada canvassing.\nI love this woman.\u201d— ALT-immigration (@ALT-immigration) 1665983423
Van Holst had barely greeted the woman before she responded:
"Oh, you're the anti-vaxxer guy?"
"Get f**ked."
Van Holst later scoffed at the encounter, suggesting the woman who told him off is in the minority, saying he gets angrily dismissed by prospective voters in Ward 1 just once or twice a day.
Matt Farrell, a political scientist at Fanshawe College, later commented on the video pointing out a person "can’t be a lightning rod that courts controversy and then expect that it won’t catch up with you in some manner."
The video quickly went viral and many praised the woman's directness.
\u201cEven Canadians have limits to their kindness\u2026\u201d— Rex Chapman\ud83c\udfc7\ud83c\udffc (@Rex Chapman\ud83c\udfc7\ud83c\udffc) 1666024168
\u201cSpeak Truth to Power. Always.\u201d— Dr. Jack Brown \ud83c\udf0a (@Dr. Jack Brown \ud83c\udf0a) 1666089480
\u201cShe\u2019s got my vote.\u201d— Sugith Varughese (@Sugith Varughese) 1666049582
\u201cShe was a lot more polite than I would\u2019ve been.\ud83d\ude06\u201d— Salt Spring Islander (@Salt Spring Islander) 1666051468
\u201cCanadians we're polite... until you piss us off lol.\u201d— #TheAstronautByJIN Aly_Law\u2077 \u27ed\u27ec \u27ec\u27ed\ud83d\udc0b\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6\ud83d\udc9c (@#TheAstronautByJIN Aly_Law\u2077 \u27ed\u27ec \u27ec\u27ed\ud83d\udc0b\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6\ud83d\udc9c) 1666057011
\u201cI can\u2019t stop watching this. Her delivery is just so crisp. \ud83e\udd23\u201d— Kat Nicholson \ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc65\udb40\udc6e\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc7f\ud83c\uddef\ud83c\uddf2\ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc77\udb40\udc6c\udb40\udc73\udb40\udc7f\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6 (@Kat Nicholson \ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc65\udb40\udc6e\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc7f\ud83c\uddef\ud83c\uddf2\ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc77\udb40\udc6c\udb40\udc73\udb40\udc7f\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6) 1666059335
\u201cA rather polite \u201cGet f*cked.\u201d Canadian status is confirmed.\u201d— Zen Sammich, J.D. (@Zen Sammich, J.D.) 1666085048
\u201cDon't bring your anti-vax crap to my door either!\u201d— Ms. Marvel \ud83d\udcce (@Ms. Marvel \ud83d\udcce) 1666044451
Van Holst has been described as an "outspoken and eccentric councillor over the course of his two terms in office" according to The London Free Press.
The paper noted he has a history of pushing back against climate change policies and water flouridation in addition to promoting COVID-19 disinformation.
Recently van Holst was "found to have violated four elements of council’s code of conduct" because he promoted a “creed” as a method of avoiding COVID-19 vaccine requirements, including those for city workers.
Van Holst also was a speaker at an anti-lockdown protest.
The London City Council ultimately voted not to punish van Holst for his behavior, a move mired in controversy because he was the deciding vote on whether or not he should face any consequences.
