Ontario’s vaccine app is only for businesses
General public will have to download PDF or print out QR code to enter venues
As phase one of Ontario’s vaccine certification system ramps up, the Doug Ford government has released new details of the digital app that will roll out on Oct. 22 — and concerns about the system are already being raised by the business community.
For starters, unlike the app developed in Quebec, the Ontario app being developed is for businesses only.
Consumers will not have access to the app but will instead be able to download a new version of their vaccine certificate
that will include a QR code, which must be presented on paper or via smartphone for entry into specified non-essential businesses such as gyms and restaurants.
Businesses will be able to load the app onto a smartphone and use it to scan the QR code, said Amanda Brodhagen, director of communications for the associate minister of digital government.
Like in Quebec and Manitoba, after scanning the QR code Ontario businesses will have to check the patron’s ID.
The QR-code vaccine certificate is optional; customers can continue to use the vaccine certificate they are using now if they wish, though it may take a little longer to verify.
The app differs from Quebec’s system, which has an application for customers to use, accompanied by a verification app for businesses.
Quebec’s VaxiCode app allows people to “download and read the entire contents of their individual QR code found on their proof of vaccination, keep the code in a digital wallet, and show it to gain admittance where needed,” according to the government’s website. Manitoba also has apps for both customers and businesses.
Ryan Mallough of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business said he was surprised to hear that Ontario is not developing an app for consumers.
Considering consumers will still need a PDF or paper version of their certificate, businesses must check IDs and the older certificates will still be valid, Mallough said a lot of businesses will be asking “why” once they hear how the system works.
“They are going to need to justify its use,” he said.
Having a customer-side app would help make sure everyone is on the same page, and further streamline the verification process, he added.
“An app is also an easier thing as a consumer to use with a single click versus pulling up a screen shot. Ultimately I think it comes down to clarity.”
Mallough said the fact the app still requires checking IDs isn’t necessarily a problem, but said users need to be made aware so they’re not surprised when the system rolls out.
Not all businesses will have the technology to use the app, said Mallough, such as those that don’t have access to reliable internet. He called on the government to provide financial support for those businesses facing roadblocks to using the app.
Brodhagen said the app will work offline, but will need to be connected to the internet for updates. She said the app will only display enough information for the business owner or employee to know that the person’s vaccine status has been verified, and no information about the individual or their vaccination status will be stored on the app or the smartphone.
For James Rilett of Restaurants Canada, the biggest surprise is how long the app has taken to roll out given the fact other jurisdictions have already developed similar systems.
“There’s no reason they couldn’t just adopt those,” he said.
Rilett said he wasn’t surprised to hear about businesses still having to check ID after scanning the QR code, since that’s how it works in other jurisdictions.
“That’s unfortunately just the way it is … it’s a labour-intensive process,” he said.
“All those things add time to the process, and time is money.”
Rilett said the only real benefit of the app — though it’s an important one — is that businesses won’t have to interpret and try to verify a customer’s QR-code vaccine certificate. He hopes the same will be true of exemptions.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Health said it is working on a way to include valid medical exemptions in the QR code, so that businesses have to check fewer doctors’ notes.
Rocco Rossi, CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, said that while Ontario’s vaccine certificate system is pushing people to get vaccinated, not having a consumer-side app is an “unnecessary complication.”
Ideally, Canada would have one national system, he said.
Joshua S. Gans, a digital strategist and professor of strategic management at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, said in an email that the key to success with Ontario’s app will be making it as easy to use as possible.
“Easy to set up. Easy to pull out at a location. And then easy for people to read it there,” he said.