Some in N.B. are unclear how new proof of vaccination policy will be enforced
In less than a week, restaurants, bars, gyms, and other businesses will be required to ask their customers for proof of vaccination per the provincial government's newly announced regulations designed to help control the spread of COVID-19.
However, the new rules could make things more complicated for businesses and there are concerns and questions about what, exactly, the mandate means for them.
"As far as I know, the new changes are that I, as a small business owner I'm going to now have to make sure the people that come into my shop have proof of vaccination on them," says owner of Ethel & Mary's, Matthew Elliot.
"I'm not clear as to how that's going to be enforced, that's another kind of question mark for me that I don't really understand and I think it's frustrating not to have any communication about."
Louis-Phillipe Gauthier of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business says that concerns among their members range from liability and enforcement, to possible cost to the business owner.
"There's already a lot of challenges in finding employees to fill those positions, so if there needs to be more staff that's required that might be a consideration as well for a business," says Gauthier.
"With what the New Brunswick government has announced, hopefully if the other governments in Atlantic Canada decide to go this way that they will be very clear in their language and they will – as the New Brunswick government has done – provide government signage that will demonstrate that businesses aren't doing this on their own, they are being mandated by government."
The province has announced new restrictions in an effort to curb the rising COVID-19 cases in New Brunswick.
On Thursday, 51 new cases were identified in the province bringing the total number of active cases to 336. Of the new cases, 47 were not fully vaccinated.
There are now 15 people in hospital with the virus and nine of those are in the intensive care unit.
Opposition leader Roger Melanson says the new measures announced by the province are a "positive thing," however he believes that more could and should be done to get the situation under control.
"I think masks are still something that needs to be looked at, is mandatory masks coming back," says Melanson,
"I think they need to bring mobile vaccination clinics where the people are … go in the schools where the kids are, go where there's major gatherings, there's baseball tournaments, the hockey rinks are reopening."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
China's latest EV is a 'connected' car from smart phone and electronics maker Xiaomi
Xiaomi, a well-known maker of smart consumer electronics in China, is joining the country's booming but crowded market for electric cars.