The Ontario Vaccine Passport - All you need to know

The Ontario Vaccine Passport – All you need to know

Black Community, Education, Health in the Black Community

September 21, 2021

The Ontario Vaccine Certificate Program , otherwise know as the Ontario Vaccine Passport is finally here and comes into effect on September 22, 2021. This comes as welcome news to businesses and customers alike as it will streamline vaccine checks at applicable public and private establishments.

Starting September 22, The new Ontario Vaccine Passport will be required to show Proof of COVID-19 vaccination. This will be a requirement to access non-essential businesses in Ontario.

To be eligible for the new vaccine certificate, you must have both doses of an approved COVID-19 vaccine and have the receipts that were provided.

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Ontario Vaccine Passport FAQ

How can I get my Ontario vaccine passport (Certificate)?

The Ontario government has split the Ontario vaccine passport rollout into two stages.

Stage 1: Launching on Sept. 22, fully vaccinated residents will be required to navigate to the provincial website and retrieve their vaccination receipts.

Please Click here to get proof of your COVID-19 vaccine.

You are than instructed to either print or save their receipts as a PDF to your mobile device which can be now used as proof-of-vaccination.

Now, before entering non-essential settings, Ontario establishments must visually verify your Ontario vaccine passport (certificate) with accompanying government-issued physical identification.

Stage 2: On Oct. 22, the Ontario vaccine passport (certificate) QR code and verification app will come into effect.

On that date, users will be able to and be required to request their certificate through the province’s new digital portal.

Please Click here to get more information on getting your proof of vaccine.

Where will you need to show your Ontario vaccine certificate?

In Ontario, you will be required to show your Ontario vaccine passport (certificate) in most non-essential settings.

All other Covid-19 health measures, such as masking and screening, will still apply in addition to a vaccine certificate.

Below are some examples of where you will need to show your Ontario vaccine passport:

Indoor areas of waterparks
Restaurants and bars (excluding outdoor patios)
Nightclubs (including outdoor areas)
Concerts, music festivals, theatres and cinemas
Meeting and event spaces, such as banquet halls and conference/convention centres
Facilities used for sports and fitness activities and person fitness training, such as gyms, fitness and recreational facilities (with the exception of youth recreational sport)
Sporting events
Indoor areas of commercial film and TV productions with studio audiences
Racing venues
Casinos, bingo halls and gaming establishments
Strip clubs, bathhouses and sex clubs

According to the Ontario government, at no time will anyone that is unvaccinated be prevented from accessing necessary medical care, food from grocery stores, basic medical supplies or other essential needs.

For a detailed list of situations where you will be exempt from showing an Ontario vaccine passport (certificate), please Click here

Please be aware that proof of a negative COVID-19 test or a recent infection will not replace the vaccine certificates.

Is there a medical exemption if I can’t get the vaccine?

The Ontario government has stated that there are only two valid medical exemptions to getting the vaccine.

The first reason would be if you have a documented allergy to a component of the vaccine, which must be confirmed by an allergist or immunologist.

The second would be if the individual suffered from myocarditis or pericarditis after the first dose of a vaccine.

If you do indeed have a medical exemption to the COVID-19 Ontario vaccine passport (certificate) program, you will be required to provide written documentation and identification.

Children under 12 will not be required to show proof of vaccination.