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Enforcement of Ontario’s vaccine certificate program, which begins today, will be mostly complaint based and will begin with educating businesses and customers about the new rules, the city’s head of emergency management said Wednesday.
Starting today, Ontario residents will need to prove that they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to enter many non-essential businesses, including gyms, restaurants, and movie theatres.
Proof of vaccination will not be required for patio dining, retail shopping, or access to other essential services.
Children under the age of 12 and those with valid medical exceptions are also exempt from the new policy.
Many business owners have expressed concern over the rollout of the program, fearing that it will lead to backlash or confusion for customers and staff. Toronto Fire Chief Matthew Pegg, who is the head of emergency management for the City of Toronto, said businesses that encounter pushback from patrons should call 311 for assistance or 911 in an emergency.
“I certainly encourage everyone, all of us to, to be patient and understand that each of these businesses are simply complying with the regulations that the provincial government has put in place so I think patience and understanding is first,” he said.
“For circumstances where people are observing or experiencing challenges for which they require assistance in a non-emergency capacity, call 311… if there is an imminent risk of public safety or threats of violence, those types of things, of course, 911 is the right call and that that would be responded to by Toronto police.”
Pegg said customers who are concerned that businesses aren’t following the rules should also contact 311.
“We have an intake process for that. Our enforcement teams will receive all of those and we’ll respond to them in due course,” he said.
The province has said that individuals and businesses could face a fine of about $750 and $1,000, respectively, for non-compliance.
While the city’s coordinated enforcement teams will be “out and about,” Pegg said, enforcement will be mostly driven by complaints.
“Our first priority will of course be education and making sure that both residents and clients as well as the businesses have the understanding they need and you know of course will provide any assistance that we can provide,” he said.
“When there is an enforcement challenge or there are escalating circumstances, we’ll respond to that in due course.”
Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases specialist with Toronto General Hospital, said while this measure will be helpful in keeping businesses open, it is not a “silver bullet.”
“These vaccine certificates are extremely helpful to creating a safer indoor space. It’s a very significant added layer of protection to reduce the chance that someone brings COVID into an indoor venue, and if it is brought into an indoor venue, to reduce the probability that it’s transmitted to others,” he told CP24 on Wednesday.
“But of course, we’ve known from the very beginning that this is not in and of itself a perfect solution. So it’s an added layer of multi layers of protection… having everyone vaccinated in there would be extremely helpful but also in addition to that, good ventilation, masking, crowd control.”
In a tweet published Wednesday, Premier Doug Ford, who is scheduled to hold a news conference on the vaccine certificate program later this morning, urged Ontario residents to be patient with the rollout.
“I know this may be tough for some, but we owe it to our businesses to do everything we can to avoid lockdowns,” he wrote.
“Please be patient. Let’s all continue to support our amazing businesses.”
Tony Elenis, President and CEO of Ontario Restaurant Hotel & Motel Association, said Wednesday that restaurants hope these measures will prevent further lockdowns.
“For a year and half the hospitality industry has experienced one challenge after another, from reductions in capacity, expensive safety protocols, lockdowns and an emotional toll,” he said.
“The vast majority of restaurants want to comply… but the preparedness has been last minute and restaurants are scrambling to understand the rules, train their employees, and have the right answers to relate to customers.”
He also said he hopes the province will step up to help businesses with the extra costs associated with the program.
“We are asking for some support from the government here to help the industry implement this program,” he said.
“There needs to be some support through a grant to cover the labour… there will be a higher labour (cost).”
Clive Caldwell, owner of Cambridge Group of Clubs said the first day of the vaccine certificate program has gone “remarkably well.”
“We insisted about six weeks ago and asked that all of our members come back fully vaccinated… We just felt like it was the safest and the best way to move forward,” he said.
“We had almost no negative feedback from the members or our staff. They were all delighted that we took the position.”
Article From: CP24
Author: Codi Wilson
