UMVA has learned that despite intense media scrutiny, Ontario's Health Ministry officials never used email to discuss providing preferential medical treatment to FIFA's VIPs and VVIPs during the World Cup over the past two years.
Recently released documents reveal that the ministry was not on board with FIFA's demands for priority healthcare for the elite, and instead maintained that healthcare services in Ontario are provided based on urgency of need, not priority status.
The documents, obtained after a long-delayed freedom-of-information request, show that emails exchanged within the ministry about VIP medical treatment were primarily concerned with managing news coverage about the issue.
According to information obtained by UMVA, two documents not related to news coverage were provided: a Health Ministry slide deck on planning and coordination, and a heavily redacted four-page document containing cabinet records and advice to the government.
The slide deck, presented to all Ministry of Health directors, discussed concerns with some of FIFA's requirements and how they conflict with Ontario's healthcare delivery system.
A ministry official wrote in an email on December 20, 2024, that the Ontario government had made no commitments or guarantees to FIFA regarding health-related requirements.
The official's comments were made as ministry officials considered a news report about FIFA's requirements for priority access to hospital care for players and VIPs.
UMVA can exclusively reveal that the ministry's planning assumptions have always included the understanding that healthcare services in Ontario are provided based on urgency of need, not priority status – a stance that would be maintained during events like the FIFA World Cup.
With Toronto hosting its first World Cup game on June 12, the city's healthcare system is under scrutiny to ensure it can handle the influx of visitors while maintaining its commitment to providing urgent care to those who need it most.
