Northeast businesses decide whether to keep or drop vaccine passports rules

Starting today, proof of being vaccinated against COVID-19 is no longer required if you want to eat in a restaurant or work out in a gym in Ontario, but some business owners are having a tough time deciding whether to implement their own systems.

In February, the Ontario government announced it would remove its proof of vaccination system on March 1, about five months after it was put in place.

Capacity limits in restaurants, bars, cinemas and gyms were lifted in mid-February. Masking requirements are still in place at this time.

In Timmins, the co-owner of Discover Fitness and Discover Performance, Lisa Tremblay, said they started asking for proof of vaccination in July, before it was required.

"We do have a vulnerable population that do come here," she said.

"We also have staff who are immunocompromised or have younger children at home."

Even though they don't have to ask for proof of vaccination anymore, Tremblay said they plan to keep doing so.

"With the change of regulations, we just thought it would be a better option for us as a company to keep the vaccination passports for awhile longer," she said.

"For us, it was a no-brainer. We've never been about the politics of this whole COVID thing. We've always been about public health measures and doing what's right."

Tremblay said when they first put the system in place before being required to do so, they did get a bit of backlash and some members quit.

"We actually gained more from it to be honest," she said.

"It allowed for a more positive atmosphere. The pushback actually came from people who were non-supporters across Canada. The vaccine mandates have not put any negative light inside of our building."

'Hit and miss'

Denise Boyer, the owner of Tutti Frutti, a breakfast restaurant in Sudbury's south end, said for the most part, customers have been fine with showing proof of vaccination. But she said business is about 40 per cent of what it was before the pandemic.

She said she fears the lifting of the passport law could keep some of her regulars away.

"I'm not quite sure what to expect," she said.

"I'm not sure if the vaccinated people are going to want to sit with the unvaccinated people. I'm assuming that the non-vaccinated people are going to be excited that they're going to be able to come in and eat. It's going to be hit and miss."

As for whether to continue asking for proof of vaccination status, Boyer said she will be scrapping the system now that she can.

"Some of these people can be really vocal and social media can kill a business," she said.

"At the end of the day, if the government has made the decision to open it up, we're following the guidelines."