Dozens of complaints about vaccine passports in northeastern Ontario, but no tickets issued

Public health inspectors and bylaw officers in northeastern Ontario have responded to dozens of complaints about vaccine passports in the month since the provincial law came into effect.

But none of the agencies that replied to the CBC's requests have written any tickets or issued fines.

As of Sept. 22, restaurants, bars, gyms, movie theatres and sports arenas have been required to check for proof of vaccination. 

The Ministry of Labour investigated 30 COVID-related complaints in the northeast in the last month, but didn't lay any fines. 

The North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit says it checked out 32 complaints, while there were 34 in the Sudbury and Manitoulin districts.

Stefany Mussen, manager of corporate security and bylaw services for the City of Greater Sudbury, said officers went out to 38 COVID-19-related complaints in the last month, most of them at local businesses.

"Officers are asked to provide education to people first and as such as, we haven't issued any offence notices," says Mussen.

Workload for bylaw officers lightens

After being busy with COVID-19 calls, Mussen said, the workload for her officers has lightened up in recent weeks. 

"They've definitely decreased because a lot of the limitations have been lifted as we move through the stages of the Reopening Ontario Act. So, gatherings for example, aren't as much of a concern as they were earlier on in the pandemic," she said. 

In the first few months of the pandemic, Sudbury bylaw officers responded to more than 700 COVID19-related complaints. 

The Porcupine and Timiskaming health units, and the cities of Sault Ste. Marie, Timmins and North Bay all told the CBC that no tickets related to vaccine passports were issued in the past month.