B.C. woman turned away from popular Toronto tourist spot because vaccine certificate doesn't include key detail
A woman from British Columbia travelling to Toronto was turned away from one of the most popular tourist destinations because her province's vaccine certificate doesn't include a key piece of information.
B.C. resident Sarah Sangha was visiting Toronto this week, and thought she had come prepared.
"I've had no problem going to different places around the city," Sangha told CTV News Toronto. "Knowing that the vaccine passport would be launching in Ontario the week that I was arriving, I came with both a paper copy and the app."
The app, is the digital proof of vaccination that residents of British Colombia can install on their phones, that comes with a QR code.
Sangha said she visited a number of restaurants and tourist attractions during her time here, all accepting her B.C. digital proof of vaccination.
But Thursday night, while trying to enter the CN Tower, where she had reservations to dine at the restaurant inside, staff told her that her provincial proof of vaccination wasn't enough.
"It was not admissible for them," Sangha said. "They weren't able to scan the QR code and they asked me if I had a paper copy. But in B.C. once you get the app and you get the QR code you no longer need that paper copy."
Along with the code, which isn't readable here, the proof of vaccination issued by the B.C. government only shows the date the certificate was issued and not the date of vaccination.
According to the Ontario Ministry of Health's website, to enter a business or organization, visitors must provide both proof of identity and proof of vaccination- showing that their final dose was at least 14 days ago.
In a statement to CTV News Toronto, Jennifer Paige, the CN Tower's Director of Marketing and Communication said "Guests are advised to review the information they intend to provide as proof of vaccination (or proof of qualifying for an exemption) and proof of identification to ensure it is complete and accurate and that it meets the criteria established within the province of Ontario."
Sangha says she ended up eating elsewhere after being turned away at the CN Tower, and says she hopes issues like this can be ironed out for future tourists visiting the province.
"I think if interprovincial travel is allowed, which it is, then the provincial governments need to be speaking to each other and they need to ironing this out so it's not impacting tourism.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.