Many Waterloo region businesses plan to ditch vaccine passports Tuesday, but not all
CBC
Ontario has lifted proof of vaccination requirements for all settings and capacity limits in indoor public spaces as of Tuesday; however, businesses still have the option to check proof of vaccination.
Many businesses in Waterloo region are welcoming the changes, but remain a little anxious, while others are holding off completely.
Queen of Hearts Tea House and Gift Shop in Kitchener won't be requiring proof of vaccination. Owner Alyshia Bestard said it comes down to efficiency.
"The extra steps of having to have the app … having to remind people to bring [the QR code] and the whole process that goes along with that … It's just time consuming and … a lot of extra work," she said, noting that dropping the mandate "makes life a little bit easier."
Bestard said she's holding off on increasing capacity to 100 per cent, but may add a few additional tables.
"My plan is to give people more space than they might get at other places … And that's really not just about COVID, but that tea experience," she said.
Seven Shores, a café and eatery in Waterloo, is also doing away with proof of vaccination for similar reasons.
Steve Tulloch, one of the owners, said it speeds things up, but on the other hand, he worries it may leave people with concerns.
"We'll have people whose fears will be increased because of that, both staff and guests. And so we feel badly about that reality," Tulloch said.
He added the business has taken steps to ensure safety, such as maintain Plexiglas dividers and an air purification system. The café will also take a gradual approach to increasing capacity. Instead of 50 per cent, it'll operate at 60 per cent starting Tuesday.
"We're grateful for the opportunity to increase our business. We're grateful for the opportunity to streamline people's ordering process without some of these extra things," Tulloch said. "But we really do want to take care of our people who work for us and also who are the guests in that place."
Smile Tiger Coffee Roasters in Kitchener will continue to require proof of vaccination for customers who dine indoors.
Brynn McIntyre, general manager and manager of operations, said this was a decision made with customers and staff in mind.
"Safety is our top priority for both our staff and our guests and many of us currently wouldn't feel safe going to eat somewhere like a restaurant or a café or something like that and knowing that there are still patrons there that are unvaccinated," McIntyre said.
The amount of money it takes for people to earn a living wage has increased across the province, according to a new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).
The new owner of Ontario steelmaker Stelco says his company "will not disappoint the people of Hamilton and Nanticoke," where the business's major facilities are based.
A Winnipegger is warning others about an intricate scam she says she almost fell for.
Fort William First Nation is opposing a planned redevelopment of the Ontario Power Generation's (OPG) 117 year old Kakabeka Falls Generating Station, which is located in their traditional territory.
A building that sits at the corner of Sussex Street and Brunswick Avenue has had many lives over the last century — being a church, a school and offices. Now it's set to become housing, at a time when the city sorely needs it.
A Waterloo, Ont., elementary school principal will be sentenced in the new year after pleading guilty to child sexual exploitation charges following a joint investigation that involved the London, Toronto and Waterloo police services.
Students at UPEI have let their student union know what they want from the province this fiscal year, and those priorities are reflected in a 2024-2025 advocacy document brought to the legislature on Wednesday.
Larger communities in the N.W.T. will soon see a boost in their territorial funding to maintain infrastructure and deliver services — like water and waste management — but the increase still falls short of what communities need.
The toxic drug crisis has taken more than 47,000 lives in Canada since 2016 and the synthetic opioid fentanyl has become a household name. But now, what's believed to be an even more potent class of synthetic drugs is showing up in drug busts across the country: nitazenes.
The Liberal government and the NDP have agreed to introduce a two-month GST vacation on certain items before the holiday season, Radio-Canada has learned.
Veterinarians are warning Londoners to make sure their dogs are vaccinated and keeping clean after a deadly virus outbreak was declared in London this week.