Ontario's Vaccine Certificate Announcement Sparks Protests At Queen's Park (VIDEO)

Proof of vaccination will be required at certain businesses starting this month.

Senior Writer

As the province announced on September 1 that Ontario is getting vaccine certificates, people started to protest against vaccination certification at Queen's Park and were heard shouting "no vax pass" and "I want my freedom back."

Protesters were seen carrying signs, including ones that read "coercion is not consent," "vaccine mandates violate bodily autonomy," and "no to vaccine mandates."

"If people want to get angry, they want to protest, come down to Queen's Park," Doug Ford said during the announcement. "They can protest, they can do cartwheels, do whatever they want down here."

Moments later, the demonstrators were spotted doing cartwheels.

As of September 22, Ontarians will have to be fully vaccinated and show proof of vaccination along with photo ID to be able to access some non-essential businesses including movie theatres, indoor restaurants and gyms.

That proof will be a "paper or PDF vaccine receipt that includes all relevant information to prove that they are fully vaccinated," which can be accessed through the Ontario booking portal.

By October 22, the provincial government will introduce an "enhanced" digital vaccine certificate, which will be a unique QR code and verification app that residents can use to show they've been vaccinated.

Health Canada has a robust website with all the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines and can answer any questions you may have.

  • Senior Writer

    Lisa Belmonte (she/her) is a Senior Writer with Narcity Media. After graduating with a Bachelor of Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), she joined the Narcity team. Lisa covers news and notices from across the country from a Canada-wide perspective. Her early coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic earned Narcity its first-ever national journalism award nomination.