‘This is not heartbreaking, this is devastating:’ Alberta restaurateur wonders why vax pass optional

CALGARY – Following Alberta’s COVID-19 announcement Wednesday night, the hospitality industry is questioning why vaccine passports are being made optional.

“In an already polarized situation in our culture right now, why is the government not taking the lead on this and putting it into businesses’ hands?” asks Ernie Tsu, with the Alberta Hospitality Association and the owner of Trolley 5.

“This cannot be up to any particular business to step up and make the mandate and then put themselves or their staff in jeopardy.”

READ MORE: Alberta adopts proof-of-vaccination program for certain services, reinstates strict public health measures

Tsu points out there’s already a lot of confusion not just around the restrictions but why businesses have to be the ones who decide whether or not to implement them.

“Every Albertan out there needs to understand, we still have to deal with laying off staff again. Everyone doesn’t want to talk about it because it’s such a dirty word,” Tsu added.

“I don’t want to be dealing with another suicide coming down the pipe from our industry because of these restrictions.”

Premier Jason Kenney called this fourth wave, “a crisis of the unvaccinated”, saying his government is reluctantly adopting this vaccine passport system.

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Tsu points out the government has been silent for the last four weeks or so, letting cases, hospitalizations, and deaths pile up.

“This government has been absentee for the last four weeks. So, while cases were coming up and questions were being asked, no one from the government was answering them. Now, here we are,” Tsu said.

“This is not heartbreaking, this is devastating. And the devastation comes from lack of planning and lack of leadership for the last four to six weeks, and quite frankly the lack of leadership all the way back to June.”

-with files from Jo Horwood