RCC’s statement on vaccination certificates in Ontario

Retail Council of Canada welcomes today’s announcement of a vaccination certificate for Ontario as a step in the right direction to protect public health.

We understand that proof of vaccination is appropriate for many activities and venues and are pleased that the government has not applied this system to customers in retail settings, as retail is far less discretionary and “scheduled” than other occurrences such as air travel or sporting and entertainment events.

Retail visits are of short duration, with masks required, and so they do not raise the same concerns of prolonged exposure, physical proximity and unmasked activity that may arise in other environments. That said, all retailers want to do their part in terms of keeping their employees and customers safe.

To that end, the government has created confusion with respect to employee vaccination rules with the release of a new regulation last week that lacks guardrails and appears to allow each of the 34 local health units to create their own obligatory workplace vaccination policy and system. This is already leading to significant confusion and will continue to do so unless a more coherent path forward, including solid guidance and appropriate timelines, for a province-wide approach is provided.