Starting Sept. 13, everyone in B.C. will be required to provide proof of vaccination to access some events, services and businesses.
By that date, in order to access those spaces, everyone must have at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and by Oct. 24, be fully vaccinated.
One of the locations where proof will be required is indoor and outdoor dining at restaurants, pubs and bars.
Here’s what we know so far about how the vaccine card will work.
It is applicable to everyone 12 years of age and older.
“It’s applicable to everybody. The only exceptions will be restaurants. If you want to go to a restaurant, any restaurant, and do takeout and take away, then we’re not going to require vaccination (cards),” Ian Tostenson, president/CEO of the BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association, told Global News.
“Take out and delivery is exempted, in-restaurant is not exempted and patios are not exempted.”
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Tostenson said the app that is set to launch with the vaccination card will be used by the business community to scan people’s phones or a piece of paper to obtain proof of vaccination.
He said the public will be able to download their vaccination information to their phones and then it can be scanned at restaurants. There will also be an option for people to print out their vaccine card on a piece of paper.
“The thing they will have to do is show proof of vaccination, one way or another, and photo ID. So it looks like it will work well and we’re pretty happy about it.”
At a fast-food restaurant, anyone sitting inside to eat will be required to be vaccinated.
“The objective of the program is to encourage people to get vaccinated,” Tostenson said.
“So it’s really clear, grab and go, no vaccination, if you’re going to stay in the restaurant and sit down, you’re going to have to show your vaccination card.”
Among concerns there might be some confrontations between employees and patrons over being asked to show proof of vaccination, Tostenson said he knows some restaurants are looking into hiring extra security for their workers.
“There’s going to be signage,” he added. “And I think that any reasonable person, whether they’re vaccinated or not, are going to see a sign that quite clearly says, ‘We are required by law to do this and if you don’t do it then we are breaking the law, so please be kind, please work with us’,”.
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Carl McCreath, president of operations for the Steamworks Restaurant Group, told Global News Friday he doesn’t have a lot of information yet about the vaccine card and how it will work in the restaurant industry.
He hopes that it is a quick and easy process for both restaurants and patrons.
“Any information we can get as soon as possible is really the message,” he said.
“We’re hoping everyone just stays calm and we can just get through it.”
Jeff Guignard, the executive director at Alliance of Beverage Licensees also said it is a tight timeline for restaurants and bars to get ready for the launch of this program on Sept. 13, but said they they are working as fast as they can.
“It is an easy-to-use system that is not very burdensome but we do ask for everyone to be patient,” he said.
When it comes to nightclubs, Guignard said they are hoping it will only be a small slowdown to check vaccine status at the doors.
“Staff is just doing what we’re legally ordered to do and we could lose our business if we don’t enforce this so if you object, write to your MLA, that’s the proper place for that discussion.”
TORONTO – Restaurant Brands International Inc. reported net income of US$357 million for its third quarter, down from US$364 million in the same quarter last year.
The company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, says its profit amounted to 79 cents US per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with 79 cents US per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue for the parent company of Tim Hortons, Burger King, Popeyes and Firehouse Subs, totalled US$2.29 billion, up from US$1.84 billion in the same quarter last year.
Consolidated comparable sales were up 0.3 per cent.
On an adjusted basis, Restaurant Brands says it earned 93 cents US per diluted share in its latest quarter, up from an adjusted profit of 90 cents US per diluted share a year earlier.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 95 cents US per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Fortis Inc. reported a third-quarter profit of $420 million, up from $394 million in the same quarter last year.
The electric and gas utility says the profit amounted to 85 cents per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30, up from 81 cents per share a year earlier.
Fortis says the increase was driven by rate base growth across its utilities, and strong earnings in Arizona largely reflecting new customer rates at Tucson Electric Power.
Revenue in the quarter totalled $2.77 billion, up from $2.72 billion in the same quarter last year.
On an adjusted basis, Fortis says it earned 85 cents per share in its latest quarter, up from an adjusted profit of 84 cents per share in the third quarter of 2023.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 82 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
TORONTO – Thomson Reuters reported its third-quarter profit fell compared with a year ago as its revenue rose eight per cent.
The company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, says it earned US$301 million or 67 cents US per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30. The result compared with a profit of US$367 million or 80 cents US per diluted share in the same quarter a year earlier.
Revenue for the quarter totalled US$1.72 billion, up from US$1.59 billion a year earlier.
In its outlook, Thomson Reuters says it now expects organic revenue growth of 7.0 per cent for its full year, up from earlier expectations for growth of 6.5 per cent.
On an adjusted basis, Thomson Reuters says it earned 80 cents US per share in its latest quarter, down from an adjusted profit of 82 cents US per share in the same quarter last year.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 76 cents US per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
