Home News Toronto board of trade calls for vaccine passports for non-essential activities.

Vaccine-Passports 20210713 — People wait in line to enter a COVID-19 test clinic next to a COVID-19 vaccination clinic

Toronto board of trade calls for vaccine passports for non-essential activities.

July 13, 2021

TORONTO — The Toronto Region Board of Trade is calling on the Ontario government to introduce a vaccine passport system for non-essential business activity.

Quebec has signalled it will require vaccine passports for non-essential activities by September and Manitoba is issuing vaccine cards to fully immunized people.

Jan De Silva, CEO of the board, says vaccine passports are the only way to safely reopen larger events like business conferences and will help revive tourism.

“The EU as of July 1st has gone live with the digital pass, and the reason why we’re so pro using that tool is that we’ve worked so hard and our small businesses have gone through multiple lockdowns that have had a devastating affect to them,” said De Silva.

“Now that we’ve got sufficient vaccine, it’s a way to start resuming a more normal form of day-to-day living.”

She said it’s a personal decision to get vaccinated, but accessing major events and indoor dining requires moral responsibility.

The board of trade says it is having discussions with the Ontario premier’s office about introducing a vaccine passport system.

She said a digital proof-of-vaccinations system could look similar to one implemented in Europe and some Asian countries, where people’s information is protected and anonymized, but can easily be displayed on a phone.

Not all provinces are cosy to the idea. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney has said the province will not be issuing vaccine passports.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday that decisions around domestic vaccine passports will be up to the provinces.

“Different provinces will be doing different things,” said Trudeau, who appeared virtually at a news conference in Nova Scotia Tuesday.

He said the federal government’s responsibility lies in standardizing proof-of-vaccination for international travel.

“In terms of domestic reflections (of vaccine passports) that’s something the provinces themselves will establish as what is right for them,” said the prime minister.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 13, 2021.

The Canadian Press