Fines

Vancouver city council voted Monday unanimously to permit fines as high as $50,000 against businesses that don’t adhere to social distancing measures and up to $1,000 for individuals in an effort to contain the spread of COVID-19. A spokesman for the mayor said in a statement bylaw officers will focus on businesses first, but people can be fined “if they don’t get the message.” Nova Scotia limited groups to a maximum of five people on Monday and police have been empowered to enforce social distancing with $1,000 fines for individuals and $7,500 for businesses. Quebec announced fines of at least $1,000 against anyone ignoring a directive to prohibit gatherings.