Alberta restaurateurs eager, anxious about possible end to vaccine passport program

As Alberta considers winding down its vaccine passport program by the end of the month, small businesses enforcing the current rules say the changes can't come soon enough.

Even if all COVID-19 public health restrictions are lifted by spring, it will be too late for many restaurants, Ernie Tsu, co-owner of Trolley 5 Brewpub in Calgary, said Thursday.

Tsu said many operators are on the brink after contending with punishing debt loads accrued during months of pandemic restrictions. He said his own restaurant has taken a financial hit, forcing him to cut back on staffing.

"March is going to be too late for a lot of businesses out there that are quite frankly, hemorrhaging right now," said Tsu, who is also president of the Alberta Hospitality Association.

"We've seen a couple of closures already and we'll probably see more if we can't get out of this a little bit quicker."

Premier Jason Kenney said Tuesday he is optimistic the province will be able to relax some public health measures by the end of February, providing hospital pressures decline.

Kenney said restrictions would be lifted in phases. The restrictions exemption program, with its QR code to verify vaccination status, would be among the first to go, he said.

Tsu said small business owners are increasingly frustrated with the burden of enforcing pandemic restrictions in their dining rooms, bars and concert venues.

"Mental health-wise, physically, financially,  it's all coming to a head."

Alberta is not alone in eyeing a restrictions-free spring. As case numbers begin to plateau, other jurisdictions including Ontario, B.C. and Quebec have signalled plans to loosen public health measures.

Alberta's restrictions exemption program, in place since September, requires anyone who wants to enter participating events or businesses to show they are fully vaccinated or provide proof of a negative test.

The restaurant industry is excited to see the program end, said Mark Petros, who owns Nick's Steakhouse and Pizza in Calgary.

Take-out deliveries have kept his family business afloat, but a "fear factor" around COVID-19 has emptied his dining room, Petros said.

"People are still afraid," he said. "And it's killing us, it's killing as an industry."