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
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.