New York restaurants, gyms require proof of vaccination. Could it happen in B.C.?
Anyone wanting to eat indoors at a restaurant or go to the gym in New York City will now need to provide proof of vaccination.
The president of the B.C. Restaurant and Food Services Association, Ian Tostenson, sees the upside of a similar rule in British Columbia.
“There’s a lot of logic to this,” said Tostenson. “If it means that people suddenly realize getting vaccinated is a very important responsibility, then if that’s what it takes, that’s what its going to take.”
But Tostenson doubts individual restaurants would require proof of vaccination for staff or customers. He said a provincial mandate would be required to level the playing field.
“You want to make it across the board fair, and you want to make in consistent. Not just for the restaurants, but for the bars, the pubs, the fitness industry,” said Tostenson.
Sara Hodson, the CEO of Live Well Exercise Clinics, agrees gyms are unlikely to require proof of vaccination unless it’s required for everyone.
“I do think that it has to be a guideline that really puts business owners into a place where we can operationalize it in a meaningful and fair way,” said Hodson.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said on Tuesday that she isn’t considering making proof of vaccination mandatory at any indoor venues right now. But lawyer Sarah Leamon says there are likely some businesses that hope it happens.
“I think it might make it easier for businesses, because they could say their hands are tied, and they are just following the law. So perhaps that aspect would be more appealing to some businesses who are maybe thinking about mandating these types of rules, but are a little bit gun shy,” said Leamon.
She doesn’t believe it’s against the law for a business to require customers present proof of vaccination.
“I think they can do that, whether or not they should is perhaps a different questions,” said Leamon. “I think any business that decides to do this will likely face some legal challenges. But whether those challenges are successful remains to be seen.”
Hodson, who is part of a fitness industry working group that consults with the provincial government, expects if Henry does want gyms to require proof of vaccination in the future, it would be discussed with stakeholders first.
“Where we are perhaps different than New York City in that we have a really healthy collaborative working relationship with the provincial government,” said Hodson.
Tostenson also expects the restaurant industry would be consulted, and if the COVID-19 outbreak in the Okanagan is contained, he’s hopeful an order on proof of vaccination won’t be needed.
“If we continue to see the situation expand that we are seeing in Kelowna, then I think you will see the call from our industry and other industries, the fitness industry, for the government to try to do something. We can’t do it ourselves.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.