Founders' Food Hall disappointed after 2 vendors say they're not asking for vaccination proof

The CEO of the Charlottetown Harbour Authority says he's disappointed a couple of vendors at Founders' Food Hall & Market are not asking for proof of vaccination.

Mike Cochrane says it's a vendor's responsibility to work with the food hall to ensure everybody eating inside the waterfront establishment is fully vaccinated against COVID-19. He said the chief public health office has been clear if somebody is eating in, they must provide proof of vaccination.

"To be perfectly honest with you, we were a little disappointed," Cochrane said in an interview Monday.

"The majority of our vendors are very supportive of the efforts to keep everybody safe."

On Thursday, the owners of Stir it Up Vegan Kitchen, who also own Lil' Darlings Plant Deli, both inside Founders' Hall, posted on social media, "we do not feel comfortable asking our patrons or our employees to provide personal health information."

The post went on to say that anyone is welcome to place an order at either of their booths, and they "will not be asked to share any proof of vaccination at any time."

On Oct. 5, the P.E.I. Vax Pass policy came into effect and requires some businesses, including food establishments, to verify a person's proof of vaccination to access indoor or patio dining.

CBC News contacted the owners of Stir it Up and Lil' Darlings, Kevin and Aurora MacLean. They initially agreed to an interview, but later said they were unavailable Monday.

Founders' Food Hall & Market is located at 6 Prince St., along the Charlottetown waterfront.

The old train car repair shop has been converted into a food and retail centre with more than a dozen vendors.

Those vendors all share the same eating area.

Cochrane said that makes policing the vaccination requirements a bit more of a challenge.

"Currently, we're in discussions with the CPHO to determine whose responsibility it is to ask that question but I think the onus is on everybody to be perfectly honest with you, the businesses, the owners and especially the customers," he said.

Cochrane said the majority of vendors are doing everything possible to follow the new guidelines. He said for those who are not, the port authority, which owns the food hall, is doing spot checks in the dining area.

"We have some measures put in place, some additional screening measures, so that if people are sitting down dining we would do spot checks on the tables and ask for proof of vaccination status," he said.

The port authority is also not ruling out making vaccinations mandatory for those who work inside Founders' Hall.

"That is quite a possibility that we're looking into, yes," Cochrane said.