Ontario Says Businesses Can Use Canada's New Vaccine Passport For Their Own Vax Policies
The federal government announced vaccine passports will come by early fall.
With Canada getting vaccine passports in the fall, the province has confirmed that Ontario businesses could very well use them if they want to enforce their own independent vaccine policies.
In an email on Thursday, August 12, a spokesperson for Premier Doug Ford's office told Narcity that businesses in the province can make their own decision on whether or not to use the new federal vaccine passport as proof of vaccination status.
Ryan Mallough, senior director with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), told Narcity via email that, with so many unanswered questions, he doesn't expect many businesses to immediately take up the offer.
"With the Ontario government currently having no plans to mandate proof of vaccination as a condition to enter some or any businesses, I don't foresee there being much uptake of domestic proof of vaccination amongst small businesses in Ontario," Mallough said.
"We are also still unclear about what a business owner can [or] can't ask for from their employees or customers on their own," Mallough continued. "When the federal proof is ready and available, we would seek clarity from the province around the expectations for business owners/patrons (if any) and what they can [or] can't use it for."
Ford has previously rejected the idea of vaccine passports for Ontario, expressing concerns that they could lead to a "split society" within the province.
Several Ontario universities have already taken it upon themselves to make proof of vaccination a requirement to come onto their respective campuses this coming fall term. Some Toronto-based businesses have already made the call to make proof of vaccination mandatory upon entry.
Health Canada has a robust website with all the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines and can answer any questions you may have.