Business groups expect strong uptake of Ontario QR code vaccine certificates
Ontario business groups expect strong uptake of the new provincial app used to verify patrons' proof of COVID-19 vaccination but say they'd like financial support from the government to cover extra costs associated with it.
The app, called Verify Ontario, was made available to businesses late last week and scans QR codes that are part of enhanced vaccine certificates issued to residents.
Businesses such as restaurants, gyms and spectator sporting venues -- where proof of a shot is required -- can use the app to quickly check a patrons' vaccination status. Previously, staff needed to check paper or digital versions of vaccine receipts at the door.
While paper records will still be accepted, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business said the app is alleviating concerns about the potential for fraudulent documents.
"The app takes a lot of guesswork or fine print out of that," Ryan Mallough, the Ontario affairs director for the federation, said in an interview.
Businesses aren't required to use the app but Mallough said he expects it will be widely implemented.
Other businesses that aren't required to check customers' immunization records, like those in retail, have also expressed interest in the app, but Mallough said the group is advising them to seek legal advice before implementing proof-of-vaccination policies.
James Rilett of industry group Restaurants Canada said most eateries intend to use the app, particularly full-service restaurants, and some are already using it.
"Most feedback is positive," he said in an interview. "For the most part, people have been found it a successful experience."
Some operators have raised concerns about using their own personal devices for the app, Rilett said, but overall, the main complaint is that the system wasn't ready to go a month ago, when Ontario brought in its vaccine certificate system.
Restaurants Canada said it's seeking financial help for businesses to support additional staff needed to implement the proof-of-vaccination system.
The CFIB is also seeking similar supports for hiring costs. Mallough said the group is also getting questions about funding to help purchase company smartphones to scan QR codes, rather than use an employee's or business owner's phone.
Ontario Chamber of Commerce CEO Rocco Rossi said he expects the "vast majority" of business owners will use the app.
"We will take every step to get ourselves to the end of this very long tunnel and be able to, as safely as possible, reopen the economy," he said.
The government said more than 3.7 million of the over 10 million fully vaccinated Ontarians had downloaded enhanced vaccine certificates with QR codes as of Wednesday.
The app for businesses to scan those codes had been downloaded more than 896,000 times, according to Associate Digital Government Minister Kaleed Rasheed. He said he expects download numbers to keep going up, after hearing positive feedback so far.
"I think businesses will continue to download this app because none of us wants to go back into a lockdown," Rasheed said in an interview.
Mallough said the CFIB has been fielding questions about the requirement to scan QR codes every time at membership-based businesses that see the same customers repeatedly, and about medical exemptions that aren't scannable in the app yet and must still be accepted on paper.
Rasheed said his ministry still awaiting details of how medical exemptions can be integrated into the app, but he said the province wanted to provide the app for businesses in the meantime.
Amir Benedikt, who owns By the Way Cafe in Toronto, said some of his staff have started using the app but added that the restaurant was still prepared to check paper vaccine receipts, especially for customers who aren't tech savvy.
"I think that overall, it's a good idea," he said of the province's vaccine certificate system. "It makes it maybe easier to control the situation."
He noted, however, that he'd like to see more enforcement of the policy and of other public health restrictions like capacity rules -- which some business owners have publicly said they don't plan to follow.
"If my neighbor doesn't keep the rules, and I have to keep the rules, and people are okay with it, I wonder, "Why am I doing it?"
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
'A huge difference': These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
OPINION No reunion between Prince Harry and the King signifies a setback for royal unity
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they're now named Scouting America
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
NEW For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
Spanish prosecutors recommend 2nd investigation into Shakira's taxes be thrown out
Spanish state prosecutors recommended Wednesday that an investigating judge shelve a probe into another alleged case of tax fraud by pop star Shakira.