No grace period on vaccine certificate fines for Ontario businesses

By Richard Southern, News Staff

While the Ford government has said it is taking “an education first” approach to enforcing the new vaccine certificate, there is no grace period and fines can currently be laid to businesses who do not follow the new rule.

In a statement to 680 NEWS, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health says:

“Officers will be taking an education-first approach to enforcement that is in line with the province’s response throughout the pandemic. However, at the discretion of the officer, businesses found to be in non-compliance of the Reopening Ontario Act can face a ticket of $1,000, or a penalty of up to $10,000,000.”

Asked yesterday by 680 NEWS if any businesses have been charged for not complying with the rule, labour minister Monte McNaughton said he did not know.

The government says it is trying to educate everyone about the new proof of vaccination system.

“Provincial offences officers from across government are joining local by-law enforcement officers to visit restaurants, recreational facilities, and other businesses or organizations where patrons will be required to provide proof of vaccination before entry. The goal of these visits is to help workers and the public stay safe, and to keep businesses open. Officers will be taking an education-first approach to enforcement that is in line with the province’s response throughout the pandemic.”

As of Sept. 22, Ontarians need to show their vaccine receipt proving they have been double dosed, along with government identification to gain access to restaurants, nightclubs, gyms and more.

On Oct. 22, the province aims to launch a QR code and verification app for businesses to streamline the process. The government says it’s still targeting that date and confirmed it has a working prototype. Officials confirmed recently it’s building the app in-house instead of bringing in existing technology from another province like Quebec, which already has a QR code read in use.

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