'Anger and vitriol': Toronto restaurants with vaccine mandate face backlash
The decision to enforce, or not enforce, a COVID-19 vaccination policy is negatively impacting some Toronto businesses.
The owner of Restaurant Chantecler says several fake reservations have been made and unwarranted one-star reviews have been left after the restaurant said it would ask guests who sit at the bar to show proof of vaccination.
“Creating a policy for six bar seats to keep our bartenders safe and keep ourselves safe from an outbreak that would surely close us down for two weeks...these are very reasonable and agreeable steps,” Jacob Wharton-Shukster said.
“The anger and vitriol that’s being spewed from the anti-vax crowd is sort of wild,” he said.
A new website called SafeTO-Do has surfaced to help guide vaccine conscious Ontarians find businesses that have policies for staff and/or customers.
Filmores Gentlemen’s Club is on the list — staff and patrons must be fully vaccinated to enter the establishment.
“The number one concern was safety. Is this going to be safe? Are we going to be okay?” said Kasper Cameron, the club’s manager.
“We are morally and ethically obligated to provide the safest possible work environment, so to us it was simple math."
Classes at Toronto Dance Salsa resume on Friday.
“Eighty per cent of our students are single, this is where marriages happen, relationships happen,” said studio director Aleks Saiyan.
Staff and students who want to dance in-person will need to show up fully protected against COVID-19.
“Now students can come in on their own, dance with others in small groups, because obviously limited capacity, but they can touch,” Saiyan said.
The majority of students are on board with the policy, he said.
Meanwhile, GoodLife Fitness has lost members for not asking for proof of vaccination.
Employment lawyers say enforcing a vaccine mandate is still a legal grey area.
“If there was any legal challenge to a mandatory vaccine policy they might be upheld in the health care sector, possibly in retail, and maybe in the food industry,” said Lai-King Hum, from HUM Law Firm.
Cameron and Wharton-Shukster argued businesses are in this sticky situation of defending their own vaccine policy, because they said the Ontario government failed to make one for them.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.