More South Etobicoke business owners are complaining that they cannot be held responsible for screening their customers for proof of vaccinations before they are allowed into their premises.

The owners say many of their customers are local residents who have been frequenting their businesses for years.

“How do I now tell this customer that I can’t allow them in my restaurant,” asks the owner of a schnitzel restaurant in Alderwood. “We have been waiting for more customers for a long time. Now we have to tell them they cannot come in.”

She insists the long-time customer, who may not have two shots or require paperwork, will never return to her business for being turned away due to vaccination checks.

The owner of Dakota’s Bar and Grill, on Lake Shore Blvd. W., says her business has dipped as much as 50% since the proof of vaccinations began.

“Many people do not have the double shots and are not coming in or are going elsewhere,” she says. “We are suffering.”

Many ‘mom and pop’ store owners say they cannot afford to hire someone to conduct the checks, since the vaccine proof of verification can appear on a printed form, on e-mail, digital or versions that can be scanned to show if a customer has had two shots.

Some angry merchants even told me flat out that they will not be asking for a proof of vaccination from some customers.

Sure, the owners are responsible area residents, who know the dangers of COVID-19 and do not want to get their customers sick. They claim to have suffered long enough.

They believe that the Ontario government have passed their enforcement efforts to the small and medium sized businesses, without proper training or communication.

Even the local Lakeshore Village Business Improvement Association (BIA) said there’s been many concerns from local businesses.

“I think there should be better communication between the province and local businesses,” said Chris Korwin-Kuczynski, Chair of the board of the BIA. “Many of our members have concerns about a lack training.”

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) said businesses are ‘divided on the contentious issue of vaccination credentials for entry into businesses.’

The announcement “leaves many concerns and unanswered questions for small business owners. How will enforcement work? Who is responsible in the event of a fraud? What is included under “youth recreational sport,” asks the CFIB.

“Will training be provided for businesses that have to check vaccine credentials? How are businesses supposed to recognize out-of-province and out-of-country vaccinations? Is there iron-clad protection for businesses against potential human rights challenges and costly lawsuits?”

“It is disappointing that the government is adding additional requirements without first removing the remaining capacity restrictions,” the federation said in a release. Capacity for most of the businesses affected is up to 50 people.

This adds an additional burden on these businesses and their employees. “They need to know when they will be able to begin their recoveries,” the CFIB wrote. “The Ontario government needs to provide more funding and a plan for allowing them to get back to 100 per cent capacity.”

They are calling on the province to provide financial support to aid businesses in their new role as vaccination screeners, which may require additional staff, training and technology to ensure full compliance with the new rules.

Customers are required to show proof of vaccination to enter: restaurants or bars to dine, casinos, bingo halls, businesses that provide teaching and instruction, strip clubs, bathhouses, meeting event space, conference halls, trade shows, personal care, fitness trainers and more. Visit https://www.cfib-fcei.ca

The CFIB is Canada’s largest association of small and medium-sized businesses with 95,000 members across every industry and region, including 38,000 in Ontario.

Tom Godfrey is Publisher of The South Etobicoke News and a long-time community resident. He is a former Reporter at the Toronto Sun for many years before deciding to use his skills to work in community journalism.