(Lara Fominoff/650 CKOM)

By Keenan Sorokan/CKOM News staff

Saskatoon Chamber CEO supports status quo for vaccine passports, health measures

Aug 31, 2021 | 6:17 PM

The CEO of the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce is pleased the province isn’t mandating vaccines or introducing any new public health measures.

A day after Premier Scott Moe and chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab held the province’s first COVID-19 update since July 7 to encourage people to get vaccinated while not reintroducing public health measures, Saskatoon Chamber CEO Jason Aebig supported the decision.

“Businesses currently have all of the tools that they need to keep their customers and their employees safe,” Aebig said.

Whether it be vaccine verification, rapid testing, masking and distancing or doing nothing at all, Aebig suggested each business is different and knows what works best to keep the doors open and keep people safe.

“They can assess their situation and the needs of their customers and employees and draw the right tool from the box to make that they’re meeting their goals,” he said.

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The Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce sent a survey earlier this month to its members across the province. Of the 369 respondents, 43 per cent were in favour of proof of vaccination while 41 per cent voted in favour of not requiring any proof.

Saskatchewan Chamber CEO Steve McLellan said at the time many businesses aren’t willing to wade into the extremely contentious debate for a myriad of reasons.

“It’s the full spectrum, but the business community is telling us very clearly this is not an issue that they want to put into place on a mandatory basis,” McLellan said.

Aebig reiterated the speed at which the highly infectious Delta variant is spreading has businesses changing their stance on the issue constantly.

“I think the lack of consensus in the business community really reflects how quickly and dynamic this issue is,” he said. “This issue is so fast-moving that it’s difficult to process all the variables and information that is now coming.”

With Saskatoon’s case numbers rising over the past week, Aebig is confident the business community can handle the spread of COVID-19.

One tool being overlooked to curb the spread of the disease is rapid testing. Aebig said the testing component will be crucial in the coming weeks.

“Even in cases where vaccine verification has been implemented, those organizations and businesses need to provide an alternative for those who are unvaccinated on religious, health or other grounds.” Aebig said.

Manufacturing and construction industries are actively using rapid testing, according to Aebig, but other sectors where it isn’t as easy to keep track of people like retail spaces and restaurants are not.

Aebig said with more and more businesses opting to make proof of vaccination mandatory, rapid testing will become more attractive.

“Unfortunately, our eye has been taken off of vaccination and rapid testing as two critical tools to keep our economy open and functioning. Hopefully we won’t lose sight of them,” Aebig said.

The CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders are one of the most notable organizations in the province to announce proof of vaccination for their home game against the Toronto Argonauts on Sept. 17.

Aebig wonders if Saskatchewan will see a ripple effect as other businesses might be convinced to alter some of their policies.

“Businesses are watching other businesses in terms of how they approach all of this,” Aebig said.

Another curiosity of Aebig’s is the province’s desire to use QR codes to easily access vaccination records via MySaskHealthRecord.

Will that technology be user-friendly? Are there any costs associated for training or implementation? Those answers are expected to arrive in mid-September when the QR codes will roll out.