Critics hastily call on Ontario vaccine certificates as government develops policy

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TORONTO Ontario’s delay in announcing details of its planned proof of vaccination system drew criticism on Tuesday that the interminable process was interfering with public health goals during the fourth wave of the pandemic.

TORONTO Ontario’s delay in announcing details of its planned proof of vaccination system drew criticism on Tuesday that the interminable process was interfering with public health goals during the fourth wave of the pandemic.

Government sources had told The Canadian Press that an announcement was expected earlier this week for the new policy that would limit access to certain non-essential services based on COVID-19 vaccination status.

Business groups and healthcare workers, municipalities and local Ontario public health officials have repeatedly called for a vaccine certificate policy, similar to those announced for British Columbia and Quebec .

But on Tuesday afternoon, the much-anticipated announcement had not been scheduled, prompting the province’s top public health doctor to cancel his weekly COVID-19 briefing.

Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath has accused Premier Doug Ford of dragging his feet on the issue and putting Ontario “in a dangerous position” as it heads into the fourth wave of the pandemic.

“Instead of listening to experts, small businesses and ordinary Ontarians, the Ford government is wasting more precious time bickering over the politics of this public health decision in Cabinet,” the NDP leader said in a statement. . “Today we saw Mr. Ford’s refusal to act causing even more damage, preventing the Chief Medical Officer of Health from giving Ontarians vital information about the pandemic.

Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca said it was “totally unacceptable” that work on policy was still underway just before post-secondary schools and campuses reopened for classes.

“Quebec did it. British Columbia did. Surely Ontario can do it too, he said.

A proof of vaccination policy would mark a significant reversal for Ford. The Progressive Conservative prime minister had previously rejected the idea, saying it would create a “divided society”.

Federal Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau denounced Ford last week for failing to make vaccines mandatory in non-essential settings, and pledged $ 1 billion from a re-elected Liberal government to the provinces to implement vaccine passport systems .

The group of scientists advising Ontario on the pandemic said vaccine certificates would allow high-risk facilities to reopen with greater capacity and help reintroduce public health measures if necessary.

Last week, senior officials at Ontario’s public health units said they were considering regional vaccine certificates in the absence of a provincial system.

A national group of doctors highlighted the comment in a statement Tuesday raising concerns about the lack of federal consistency on vaccine certificates.

The Canadian Medical Association called on all levels of government “to make the necessary commitments to ensure that current and future vaccination certificate programs are interoperable across jurisdictions.”

Katharine Smart, president of the organization, noted the absence of a provincial system in Ontario that has left health units to consider taking on the task.

“While it is commendable that various organizations are acting proactively to address the threat posed by the Delta variant, we are concerned that this approach will create an even more complex and inconsistent patchwork of rules, confusing those it does. is supposed to take charge, ”Smart said in a statement. declaration.

The highly infectious Delta variant accounted for about 99% of COVID-19 cases in Ontario on Tuesday, according to the COVID-19 Scientific Advisory Table.

Daily infections have increased in the past few weeks since a drop in early summer, despite relatively high vaccination rates in the province – 76 percent of residents aged 12 and older have been fully vaccinated.

Ontario reported 525 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, most of them unvaccinated or of unknown vaccine status.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 31, 2021.

Holly McKenzie-Sutter, The Canadian Press

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