Calgary Chamber of Commerce calls on premier to implement vaccine passports in Alberta

CALGARY — The Calgary Chamber of Commerce is among those asking the province to create a COVID-19 vaccine passport system in Alberta.

Calgary Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Deborah Yedlin says it’s critical to being able to stay open.

“There’s an adage in business, that if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it,” Yedlin said.

“In the absence of measures, to test, trace and isolate we need another mechanism to keep everybody safe, and from our perspective, having a vaccine passport or a vaccine certificate is the way to travel.”

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The Canadian Chamber of Commerce also says vaccine passports or digital certificates would help to prevent future pandemic-related shutdowns. Quebec plans to implement a passport system, while Ontario has come out against the idea, with Ontario Premier Doug Ford saying it would cause a “split society”.

Meanwhile, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney says it could violate the Health Information Act and has rejected the idea.

“Anything that gives up the certainty that people are being vaccinated so that they can be safely part of whatever they choose to do in Alberta is absolutely critical,” Yedlin said.

“At one point, we get to a situation where this is about the collective good of everybody in this province.”

Yedlin says businesses have voiced concerns about their ability to stay open with the province lifting public health measures.

“There’s a challenge with respect to small businesses in the context of who manages vaccine passports, obviously that’s not something that we would not want to pass on, in terms of an obligation, to small businesses,” Yedlin said.

“But if we do enter a situation where businesses are going to be forced to close or curtail their capacity because we’re dealing with the fourth wave of COVID, that is not helpful for any business.”