Despite a rush of media interest, documents released by the provincial government suggest that at no point in the last two years did Health Ministry officials use email to discuss preferential medical treatment of people FIFA deems to be VIPs and VVIPs during the World Cup.
The documents also show that while FIFA insisted the World Cup’s elite should get priority health care, the ministry was never on board with that.
Emails and other Health Ministry documents related to VIP and VVIP treatment were recently released to the Toronto Sun after a long-delayed freedom-of-information request. All emails that were exchanged within the ministry about VIP medical treatment were solely concerned with news coverage about the issue.
The Sun was only provided with two documents not about news coverage: a Health Ministry slide deck on planning and co-ordination, and a fully redacted four-page document containing cabinet records and advice to the government.
Ministry’s Internal Discussions
“The slide deck was one that was presented to all MOH directors … In particular, time was spent on the FIFA requirement slide discussing concerns with some of the FIFA requirements and how it is not consistent with how health services are delivered in Ontario,” a ministry official wrote in an email on Dec. 20, 2024.
“At this time, the government of Ontario has made no commitments or guarantees to FIFA with respect to health-related requirements,” the official added.
Those comments were made as ministry officials considered an article published by Toronto Today. Peter Kaftarian, who was then the associate deputy minister, had asked if that outlet’s reportage and freedom-of-information request had been “flagged” for Health Ministry teams, including the staff of Kieran Moore, Ontario’s chief medical officer.
The slide deck said FIFA requires “priority access to hospital care for players and VIPs, and tracking players through the health system.” However, the slide deck dates to January 2024 and is full of outdated information, such as listing Downsview Park and Mississauga as hosting FanFest zones.
Urgency of Need
The Health Ministry confirmed in an email this month that despite FIFA’s ask, there will be no change in how Ontario’s medical system works.
“Health-care services in Ontario are provided based on urgency of need, not priority status, and this would be maintained during events like FIFA World Cup 2026,” Lily Barnes, press secretary for the health minister, said in a brief statement.
A different email, which went to a handful of ministry staff after questions from a CBC reporter, suggests this was always the plan – right down to the phrasing.
“Our planning assumptions have always included the understanding that, though this is requirement of FIFA, health-care services in Ontario are provided based on urgency of need, not priority status, and this would be maintained during events like FIFA as it was during 2015 Pan/Parapan Am Games,” an official wrote on Jan. 2, 2025.
The Sun had requested all Health Ministry correspondence “related to so-called VIPs or VVIPs at the 2026 FIFA World Cup” between 2024 and mid-February. The Sun has asked the ministry’s access and privacy unit to confirm all documents that meet that criteria were accounted for but has yet to get a response.
Toronto’s first World Cup game takes place on June 12.
