Ford says vaccine passports are the 'best chance' Ontario has to avoid another lockdown
Premier Doug Ford welcomed the launch of COVID-19 vaccine certificates in Ontario, saying the system is essential to prevent the province from entering into another lockdown.
The premier made the remarks at a news conference on Wednesday morning, just hours after the vaccine certificate system came into effect, noting the certificates are a temporary, but vital new measure to combat the disease.
Ontario's new vaccine certificate system requires patrons at dine-in restaurants, nightclubs, cinemas, gyms, sports facilities and other venues to present a receipt of full vaccination along with government identification before entering.
“These certificates, they're the best chance we have to get through these coming months without having to move backwards,” Ford told reporters on Wednesday.
“But, let me be very clear, this is a temporary and exceptional measure. We will only use these certificates for as long as they are needed and not one day longer.”
In Ontario, more than 85 per cent of people aged 12 and up have at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in the province, and about 79 per cent of the eligible population have both doses.
Ford admitted that he was hesitant about implementing the certificate measure, but he added that health experts and the province’s medical officer of health convinced him the step was necessary.
“It's no secret that I was reluctant to use this tool, but our highest concern, what keeps me up at night, is ensuring we never lose our hard fought progress,” he said.
“We can't afford to shut down again, or experience a sudden surge in cases like we're seeing in other provinces across the country.”
The province said people with medical exemptions could use doctor’s notes to avoid the new rules. Businesses that don't comply with the certificate program and patrons who give false information may be fined.
“It's important that each of us remain patient, especially with business owners and frontline workers who are implementing the vaccine certificate,” Ford said.
“As we begin this vaccine certificate, there'll be a period of learning. I want to be clear, enforcement will lead with education and will be reasonable to business owners.”
The province’s online web portal where proof of vaccination certificates are obtained and vaccine appointments are scheduled was down earlier this morning for a previously scheduled maintenance, which occurs almost weekly.
The province says the website is usually unavailable each week for maintenance from 11 p.m. on Tuesday to 8 a.m. on Wednesday and from 11 p.m. on Saturday to 9 a.m. on Sunday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
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.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
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.
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.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
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.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.