Business owners in Waterloo region react to Ontario's COVID-19 vaccine passport plan

The newly announced requirement to show proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to dine indoors at restaurants and go to gyms and theatres is being welcomed by business owners in Kitchener.

The "enhanced COVID-19 vaccine certificate" system, as the Ontario government is calling it, will come into effect on Sept. 22.

Ronak Patel, owner of Play A Latte Cafe in Kitchener, said many of his customers are parents with children who are under the age of seven and therefore ineligible for the vaccine.

"So, for us, having that requirement of a vaccine passport probably provides a bit of comfort at least to know that all the adults in the room have been vaccinated, and it's really just the children that are unvaccinated," Patel told CBC K-W.

"So, minimizing that risk of transmission during their visit at Play A Latte Cafe probably makes them feel a little bit comfortable knowing that the passport's in play."

At first, fully vaccinated Ontarians will need their current vaccination receipt with a valid photo identification to enter premises covered under the new system. 

I think it's nice to have the same rules apply to all businesses and it allows us to deliver on what the province wants in a cohesive manner.- Ronak Patel, owner Play A Latte Cafe

The receipts can be printed or downloaded from the provincial government website. "Fully vaccinated" here means having had two doses, with the most recent at least 14 days prior. Neither a recent COVID-19 infection nor a recent negative test will substitute for two shots.

"I think it's nice to have the same rules apply to all businesses and it allows us to deliver on what the province wants in a cohesive manner," Patel said.

"I'm sure trying to enforce it and making sure everyone is vaccinated is going to be a challenge and I'm hoping that public health in the province provides more insight on how we're going to be able to do that successfully, but at least as a provincewide program for Ontario it's consistent across the board."

Certificate based on 'evidence and best advice': Ford

At a news conference Wednesday, Premier Doug Ford said the new system came from "in-depth conversations" with experts based on "evidence and best advice."

The government says that on Oct. 22, it will shift to certificates that include QR codes containing much of the same information included on the vaccination receipts that are already available. That shift will be accompanied by the release of a "verification app" that can be used to validate the QR codes and provide the vaccination status of an individual.

Graeme Kobayashi, owner of Counterpoint Brewery in Kitchener, said the vaccine passport plan sounds like a committed change and a restriction that will hopefully help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in indoor settings.

"It seems to make everything so accessible, outdoor dining and [the consumption] of let's say our product, beer, will be available to those unvaccinated ... but it's nice to see that there are some restrictions in place for indoor socializing," Kobayashi told CBC K-W.

But Kobayashi feels the vaccine passport is a little bit late.

"On top of it being a bit late, we're still seeing almost a two-month delay before it's been set in place … so it would be nice to see things being put in place a little sooner," he said.

Excited to be left out

Personal care services, like hair salons, are not included in the list because "the policy is focused on indoor settings where it's not possible to wear a mask," according to Ford's spokesperson Ivana Yelich.

Holly Fuhr, owner of Kitchener salon Shear Amazement, said she is very excited to be left out of the new requirement.

"I was very concerned on how I was going to implement not having my clients that are not comfortable vaccinating, having to leave them out of getting services done and potentially losing them as clients," Fuhr told CBC K-W.

"I fully believe that I do enough in my salon with protocols and I'm one-on-one and clean everything that I feel safe whether you're vaccinated or not.

"So. I like that I can still be able to run my business to whoever I like," Fuhr added.

'A double-edged sword'

Peter Davies, co-founder of All my Nails and Foot Care Advanced in Waterloo, said he's confused as to why nail and hair salons, where individuals would have services lasting 45 minutes in a group gathering, would not be included.

"In a way I feel it's a double-edged sword … we don't want to turn our clients from each other. It's not the point that clients chose not to be vaccinated, some of them cannot be vaccinated," Davies said.

"The passport, if regulated, would relieve me of having to make a personal choice of whether we do a passport system or we don't at the salon door. Turning clients away or turning more clients in, that's the double edged sword.

"I think the passport system would force more people into being vaccinated and again we are going back to that point that they don't want to be forced to make a decision," Davies said.