TORONTO -- Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews says she's outraged over reports that celebrity athletes got the swine flu shot while other people are forced to wait.
She told the legislature it's "entirely unacceptable" that hockey and basketball players managed to get the vaccine that's intended for priority groups only and plans to look into the matter.
Her comments come after a health employee in Alberta was fired after letting the Calgary Flames jump the swine flu shot queue.
Matthews was responding to NDP demands to know why millionaire professional athletes were able to get the H1N1 shot while school-age children are being turned away in Ontario.
The company that owns and operates the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs says some players and staff were vaccinated, but insists there was no preferential treatment.
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Some members of the NBA's Toronto Raptors, another team owned by Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, also received the shot.
Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment won't say how many players got the shot, and whether there were underlying health complications.
