QUEEN’S PARK — MPP Mike Schreiner released the following statement in response to the Premier’s announcement on vaccine certificates today
“Today’s vaccine certificate news is welcome, but the Premier has once again delivered a bare minimum half measure that’s months late.
The Premier’s dithering on the inadequate three paid sick days announced in May and the mandatory vaccines for health care and education workers in August that aren’t really mandatory have made the pandemic worse.
The Premier needs to step up, stop blaming the Feds for his lacklustre response to the pandemic and speed up implementation of Ontario’s vaccine certificate.
Public health experts and business leaders have for months called for a vaccine certificate to protect Ontarians and help keep schools and small businesses open.
But the Premier’s delays means Ontario won’t have a digital QR code until October 22, well over a month after the start of the school year.
Today’s announcement raises questions about why the Premier is excluding staff, salons and barbershops from Ontario’s certificate since we must do all we can to avoid another lockdown.
We need a vaccine certificate that is accessible to all, easily enforceable, comprehensive and clearly communicated.
But right now, the Premier’s vaccine certificate rollout is slow, scarce on details, and doesn’t go far enough to fulfill its purpose.”