Few enforcement incidents reported in first days of Ontario vaccine certificates
Ontario police forces and other enforcement bodies are reporting few incidents in the early days of the province's proof of COVID-19 vaccination policy, as some businesses have publicly pledged to ignore the rules.
Most of the incidents reported to police since Wednesday, when the new vaccine certificate system went into effect, involved people who refused to show proof of vaccination.
Peel Regional Police said Thursday it had received seven calls about customers not showing proof of vaccination -- five incidents at gyms and two at food establishments.
The police force provided minimal details on what happened in the interactions but noted the customers who entered without showing proof of vaccination left before police arrived in two reported cases. In the other five, they left "without incident" after officers arrived on site.
Guelph Police said officers responded to one report involving a man at a restaurant who "was refusing to show proof of vaccination and refusing to leave."
The police force said the man had left by the time officers arrived, but noted that in future, people who don't comply with the rules can be removed under the Trespass to Property Act.
Toronto police said it received "several" calls related to the policy, which it directed to 311, "with no significant issues to report."
Other police forces surveyed by The Canadian Press said they weren't aware of any tickets issued in the first day of the vaccine certificate policy.
Police forces have largely said they will respond to situations where public safety is threatened but won't be checking for individual compliance.
Fines are on the table for businesses and patrons that violate the rules, but officials have said early enforcement will focus on education about the changes.
Compliance checks are to be done by provincial and municipal inspectors. As of Thursday, few incidents had been reported there, either.
A spokesman for the City of Toronto said no tickets had been issued by by-law officers.
Public Health Units also said issues requiring enforcement hadn't yet come up.
A spokeswoman for the Huron Perth Public Health said there was no information to share so early in the policy's implementation. Health units covering Windsor-Essex County, Niagara Region and Brant County said they weren't aware of any enforcement as of Thursday, with Brant County noting a recent uptake in vaccination bookings.
The North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit said it had responded to "very few complaints" about the vaccine certificate program, with no fines issued as of Thursday afternoon. It said in a statement that many requests have come in from businesses looking to ensure they are complying with the program.
Despite lax enforcement in the early days of the policy, several business owners in the province have publicly declared that they don't intend to ask for proof of vaccination at all, or will only serve take-out to avoid having to ask.
Those who oppose the policy have connected over social media to exchange the names of businesses that claim they aren't adhering to it.
A Facebook group called Ontario Businesses Against Health Pass had amassed more than 136,000 members as of Friday, though it's unclear how many of them are business owners. It described itself as a space for people "to compile a list of businesses that believe a health passport in Ontario is unconstitutional."
A similar Facebook group focused on businesses in the Windsor, Ont., area had attracted more than 12,000 members as of Friday. Discussion posts highlight businesses that claim to not be enforcing the vaccine policy, and others request recommendations for new places to patronize after being turned away from their local spots.
Group administrator Krystle Bernauer claimed hundreds of businesses are involved in the group.
"Unfortunately, we feel the government has put us in a position where we have to discriminate and divide one another," Bernauer, who said she owns a cleaning company, said in an interview.
A gym in Mississauga, Ont., that opened during previous pandemic shutdowns has also proclaimed it will not check for vaccination status.
"We will NOT Segregated nor Discriminated," a Sept. 20 post on the Huf Gym's Facebook page read.
Another website titled "NoPass List" names businesses across Canada "who do not discriminate based on medical choice."
Premier Doug Ford has repeatedly said he was reluctant to implement the policy, but decided to do so temporarily to avoid to reintroducing lockdown measures.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2021.
With files from Noushin Ziafati
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.