Mayor of Halton Hills speaks out in favour of vaccine passports

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Published August 18, 2021 at 9:37 pm

rickbonnette

Halton Hills Mayor Rick Bonnette recently penned a letter to leaders in Ontario and Canada signalling his support for vaccination passports. 

In a letter written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Premier Doug Ford and Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott, Bonnette said a vaccination passport will help protect businesses. 

“As the Chair of Halton Hills’ Economic Support and Recovery Task Force, I recognize the need to support businesses and to this end, we have been rolling out our Economic Recovery and Resiliency Plan to help local businesses stay open amidst trying times. No one can deny that small businesses took the brunt of lockdowns and restrictions,” Bonnette wrote.  

“They made huge sacrifices to do their part to help fight COVID-19. I believe that a vaccination passport would provide some certainty and assurance for business owners and consumers; that this next step in managing the impacts of the worldwide pandemic is a necessary one as we continue to battle new and emerging virus variants.”

In the letter, Bonnette said he’s not alone in advocating for a nationally recognized document that will easily let businesses know whether a person has been vaccinated against COVID-19. 

“My letter to you aligns with the appeals made by the Ontario Medical Association, Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, Ontario Chamber of Commerce, Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce, Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas and Big City Mayors who have all requested the Province of Ontario call for a vaccine certificate system similar to Manitoba and Quebec to avoid another lockdown,” he wrote. 

Much like other passport advocates, Bonnette is arguing that a passport could be helpful in preventing future lockdowns. 

“A vaccination passport is the next tool in our arsenal to support business recovery and no doubt, would be overwhelmingly welcomed by the hospitality, tourism and retail sectors,” he wrote. 

Cover photo courtesy of Mayor Bonnette’s official Twitter account

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