Ontario reveals vaccine passport system for restaurants, gyms and theatres. Here's what you need to know
Proof of COVID-19 vaccination will be required to access non-essential businesses in Ontario, including gyms, indoor restaurants, movie theatres and concert halls, under the province's new vaccine certification program starting Sept. 22.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford made the announcement at a news conference on Wednesday afternoon, saying the certificate is necessary to keep non-essential businesses and facilities open as the Delta variant continues to fuel a fourth COVID-19 wave.
"After in-depth discussions with our medical experts, we've landed on a vaccine certificate policy that is based on evidence and the best advice," Ford told reporters.
"We have two options here. We either do this or we risk shutting down the economy, which would even be worse, having our hospital capacity maxed out and at the brink, having our kids stay at home, our college and university kids going back online. That is what we are trying to avoid.”
Those eligible for a vaccine certificate must have both doses of an approved COVID-19 vaccine, which will allow them to visit casinos, concert venues, theatres, cinemas, sporting facilities and events, banquet halls, bingo halls, convention centres, nightclubs and to eat at indoor food and drink establishments.
Officials said that a certificate is not necessary for retail shopping, salons and barbershops, banks, places of worship, essential services, workplaces or patios and other outdoor spaces.
The province said the decision to exempt some non-essential businesses such as salons and barbershops from the vaccine certificate rule is because data shows that the transmission risk is not as high in those settings due to strong infection control practices.
"The venues that we have chosen are responsive to the risk that we have found in Ontario," Ontario’s Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore said at the news conference on Wednesday. "If the risk increases in other venues, we can add and implement additional measures to protect Ontarians."
The new rules will also not apply to children under the age of 12 and people with medical exemptions.
WHERE TO GET A VACCINE CERTIFICATE
As the government works to develop a digital vaccine certificate for October, the province says people will meanwhile use their vaccine receipts available in PDF format on the provincial portal. People with red-and-white health cards can call the vaccine booking line to get a copy of their receipt.
At the entrance of applicable businesses, residents will need to present the receipt alongside government-issued photo identification, and, for now, it will be visually verified by the venues and organizations.
For the official vaccine certificate, the province is working to establish personalized QR codes for vaccinated individuals, which is expected to be ready for Oct. 22. People can either print or store the QR code on their phone. It must be used alongside government-issued photo ID.
The government is also developing an app for businesses that will scan and verify the contents of the QR code, which will also be ready in October. The app will show businesses a checkmark or an ‘X’ to confirm vaccination status, officials say.
In the coming weeks, the province said it’s working to establish a process to prove vaccination status for people with no e-mail, health card or ID, as well as support the implementation of vaccine certificates for Indigenous communities.
The province warned that proof of a negative COVID-19 test or a recent infection will not replace the vaccine certificates. There will be a limited time exception for funerals and weddings between Sept. 22 and Oct. 12. A negative test taken within 48 hours will enable a person to enter if not fully vaccinated.
'SOMETHING I DID NOT WANT TO DO'
Over the past several days, officials met multiple times to discuss the details around Ontario’s vaccine certification system.
Vaccine passports, or plans to create them, have already been rolled out in multiple other Canadian provinces, including British Columbia, Quebec, and Manitoba.
"My friends, it's no secret. This is something that I did not want to do. This is a serious step that we're not taking lightly," Ford told reporters on Wednesday.
"This is a temporary tool that we won't use any longer than we have to but ... I know that this is what we have to do right now in the face of the fourth wave because these certificates are necessary to keep our hospitals safe and to avoid another lockdown."
The premier said bylaw officers would be responsible for enforcing the new certificate policy. For individuals and businesses who do not comply with the program, fines will be issued under the Reopening Ontario Act.
CERTIFICATE AIMS TO INCREASE VACCINATIONS
Ford said the certificates aim to reduce overall transmission in the community and encourage vaccine uptake in order to reach herd immunity with the more transmissible Delta variant.
Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases specialist in Toronto, told CP24 on Wednesday that Ontario would likely see an increase in vaccinations following the announcement. Currently, about 83 per cent of residents 12 and older in Ontario have at least one dose of the vaccine, and about 76 per cent are fully vaccinated.
"We will likely see a pretty reasonable jump in people booking their vaccines. We saw that in France, we saw that in Quebec, we saw that in B.C. I think we will probably see the same thing in Ontario," he said.
"People who might have been sitting on the fence are going to say, 'Wow, if I want to participate in non-essential activities, go to non-essential businesses, like restaurants, like bars, like concerts or whatever, I need a vaccine, I'm going to go get one.'"
He added that while vaccine certificates and passports are important, they are not the overall "solution to the pandemic."
"This helps create a safer indoor space," he said. "This is not the only thing that needs to be done. This is one major policy decision that can be taken to keep places open."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW From yearning for a change to cost of living, why some Canadians have left or may leave the country
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
NEW Capital gains tax change 'shortsighted' and 'sows division' business groups tell Freeland
Forging ahead with increasing Canada's capital gains inclusion rate 'sows division,' and is a 'shortsighted' way to improve the deficit, business groups are warning Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
Defence attacks Stormy Daniels' credibility as she returns to the stand in Trump's hush money trial
Stormy Daniels will return to the witness stand Thursday in Donald Trump's hush money trial as the defence tries to undermine the credibility of the porn actor's salacious testimony about their alleged sexual encounter and the money she was paid to keep quiet.
With contactless screening tech, this Toronto startup hopes to catch breast cancer early — and save lives
Amid evidence of rising breast cancer rates among young women in Canada, one Toronto startup is offering a contactless and radiation-free device that can help doctors identify suspicious changes in breast tissue. The company, Linda Lifetech, says this can lead to earlier detection of breast cancer.
Tornadoes tear through southeastern U.S. as storms leave 3 dead
Forecasters warned a wave of dangerous storms in the U.S. could wash over parts of the South early Thursday, a day after severe weather with damaging tornadoes and large hail killed at least three people in the region.
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.
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.