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       People attend an anti-vaccine protest in Montreal, on Sept. 5.

       Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press

       Quebec Premier Francois Legault said he plans to table a bill Thursday that would ban anti-vaccine protests near schools and hospitals.

       Legault said the bill will be presented to his cabinet for approval Wednesday afternoon, and he hopes to have the support of all opposition parties so the bill can pass quickly.

       “What we want to do, starting (Thursday), is pass a special bill to fine people who are going to hold anti-vaccine protests,” he said at the legislature in Quebec City.

       “It doesn’t make sense to have anti-vaccine protests in front of places that are for our children or our patients,” Legault said later during question period.

       Does my province have COVID-19 vaccine passports, mandates or public restrictions? The rules across Canada

       Earlier Wednesday, the three main opposition parties said it’s unacceptable that protesters are approaching children in an attempt to discourage them from following health orders and getting vaccinated. They said they were ready to work with the government to adopt the law quickly.

       Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, the spokesperson for the Quebec solidaire party, said he supports legislation but he doesn’t want it to ban other types of protest outside schools, such as demonstrations by parents who support public education.

       Since classes resumed last month, at least five protests have taken place outside primary and secondary schools in Montreal. Protests have also occurred outside hospitals.

       In 2016, Quebec banned protests within 50 metres of abortion clinics.

       Quebec reported 683 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday and five additional deaths linked to the novel coronavirus.

       The Health Department said the number of hospitalizations rose by six, to 280, and 91 people were in intensive care, an increase of five from the day before.

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       The province’s public health institute said 89 per cent of Quebec residents 12 and over have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 84.5 per cent are considered adequately vaccinated.

       This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

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