Vaccine-card enforcement: 885 complaints filed in B.C.; 13 violation tickets issued
Just over a dozen enforcement tickets were handed out in the first month of B.C.'s vaccine-card program, but hundreds of complaints were issued to officials.
B.C.'s vaccine card rules rolled out on Sept. 13, requiring proof of immunization to access many discretionary businesses and events like restaurants, movie theatres and games.
In a statement to CTV News Vancouver, B.C.'s public safety ministry and office of the solicitor general said 885 complaints have so far been received by local health authorities and the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch.
From those, 648 were investigated and 401 were "resolved through education and compliance," the ministry's statement said.
Beyond that, 48 warning letters were issued and 13 violation tickets were handed out.
As of Oct. 3, only three tickets had been issued, meaning 10 more were handed out in a 12-day period.
As well, the ministry said three closure orders were issued to businesses over the past month. Two liquor licences were suspended and one business licence was suspended.
Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said earlier in the month that more enforcement was coming.
"I'm aware that there are those that think the rules don't apply to them," Farnworth said last week. "Tickets have been issued and there will be more coming."
The ministry said nearly 3.6 million people have downloaded their vaccine cards.
Starting on Oct. 24, the next phase of the vaccine-card program will begin. Starting that date, proof of full vaccination will be required to access those discretionary services.
However, officials have previously said they don't expect to see as many vaccine card tickets because of how many residents are already vaccinated.
"We anticipate that the number of violation tickets issued in relation to vaccine card requirements will be much lower than the rate of violation tickets in previous months," the ministry said in an email.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Alissa Thibault
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.'s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease's progression.
What Michael Cohen said on the stand in Trump hush money case
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial took the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.
Collapsed Baltimore bridge span comes down with a boom after crews set off chain of explosives
Crews conducted a controlled demolition Monday to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
Kamala Harris drops F-bomb during White House live-stream
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.
Behind the barricades: How protesters spend their first days in a new encampment
Students in Montreal describe life in a newly erected encampment in Montreal as a whirlwind of preparations, from facing rain and a potential police crackdown to setting up a space for the exchange of ideas.
Security video caught admitted serial killer disposing of bodies in Winnipeg garbage bins
Security video caught admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki on multiple late-night outings, disposing of body parts in nearby garbage bins and dumpsters in the middle of the night.
Next 48 hours will be 'extremely challenging' for B.C. wildfire crews near Fort Nelson: officials
A wildfire burning dangerously close to Fort Nelson, B.C., has grown to more than 50 square kilometres, and officials are warning that the blaze's behaviour is expected to become more volatile over the next 48 hours.
Southern Ont. man charged with attempted murder in Timmins shooting
One of two men wanted for attempted murder in Timmins has been arrested, while a warrant has been issued for a second suspect, who fled police on foot.