Coronavirus: Manitoba MPP faces criticism for failing to show proof of proper vaccine at restaurant

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WINNIPEG –

A Progressive Conservative MP from Manitoba faces criticism for failing to show proof of proper vaccination at a restaurant.

Wendy May, owner of the Oakwood Café, said Seine River MP Janice Morley-Lecomte came to the restaurant on Friday.

She said when a server asked Morley-Lecomte for proof of vaccination, the MP provided a printout without any information that could be scanned and without a secondary ID photo.

May noted that Morley did not provide a vaccination card or QR card on his phone or other device.

“What we’re allowed to accept is the physical plastic card with a scannable code or the QR code, or if you have the Canada-wide card that has the QR code we can scan,” May said.

“She didn’t have one. She had a piece of paper, on which we believe was her proof of vaccination, but there was nothing we could scan. “

May noted that when the waiter said the restaurant needed the QR code, Morley-Lecomte said the restaurant was wrong to ask for the information.

“We showed him what we printed from Public Health, which we are able to accept,” said May.

“Then she said she was an MP. Our server asked her if she wanted to download the app to her phone, so that she could then get the QR code, and she said she was not willing to do so.

The restaurant informed Morley-Lecomte that they could not serve it without the proper proof of vaccination, and the MP left the company.

May added that the MP was not rude and acknowledges that at one point printouts were considered an acceptable form of vaccine proof.

“It was a very unfortunate situation,” May said.

“I want to stress, she wasn’t rude, she wasn’t belligerent. But the fact that she kept announcing that she was an MLA and that she worked for the government made it seem like she expected different treatment.

May said she believes Morley-Lecomte should be aware of current public health orders, which require eligible Manitobans to show proof of proper vaccination to dine at a restaurant. She added that restaurants face financial repercussions if they break the rules.

“We respect what the health ordinances ask us to do,” she said, noting that the restaurant is checked for compliance with health ordinances.

“It’s not about whether or not we agree with them. They are what they are and this is how we operate. We want to keep running. We want people to be safe and comfortable. We want people to know that we are following orders.

May said those who work for the government are there to set an example for the rest of the province.

“It’s nothing personal. We would be happy to welcome her anytime, as long as she has the correct information we need,” she said.

May wrote a letter to Premier Heather Stefanson about the situation because she thinks it is important that she know what MPs are doing when they are not at work.

“After all this time, there’s no excuse to tell us we’re not right,” May said.

“Hand on heart, if we could be wrong. I totally agree with that, as the information changes quite quickly sometimes.

Morley-Lecomte posted on Twitter that she had shown the server proof of government vaccination.

“She said she had to scan a QR code and went to ask the owner if the government proof of vax was sufficient,” the tweet said.

“I was told no, I had to scan a map. I left the Oakwood restaurant.

Nahanni Fontaine, House leader of the NDP, said the incident is an example of the hardships frontline workers face during the pandemic.

CTV News Winnipeg has reached out to Stefanson for comment.

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