Nearly one third of Ottawa restaurants aren’t following vaccination rules: MacLeod

OTTAWA -

An Ontario cabinet minister says nearly one third of Ottawa restaurants aren’t enforcing provincial vaccine requirements.

Nepean MPP Lisa MacLeod made the statement in the Ontario legislature on Tuesday, calling the figure “troubling.”

“I had some troubling information today from Ottawa Public Health, where 30 per cent of restaurants in the city of Ottawa failed to comply with the vaccination requirements at this point in time,” said MacLeod, who is Ontario’s minister of heritage, sport, tourism and culture.

MacLeod told CTV News she and Social Services Minister Merrilee Fullerton received a briefing from Ottawa Public Health officials, who raised concern and shared the number.

Restaurants and bars are required under provincial rules to check proof of vaccination for diners eating indoors. That rule came into effect Sept. 22.

MacLeod was speaking in response to a question about why sports venues are allowed to be at full capacity, while restaurants are not.

A spokesperson for MacLeod said she was unavailable for an interview.

But it's possible she was referring to a blitz of 31 businesses that Ottawa bylaw officials conducted on Friday and Saturday to check for compliance with rules on masking, capacity limits, contact tracing and proof of vaccination.

Of the 31 businesses inspected, 10 were found not to be in compliance with various rules, the city's director of bylaw services Roger Chapman said in a statement on Wednesday.

However, the inspections focused on establishments previously reported as being non-compliant. And the violations were of various provincial rules, not just vaccination requirements.

Restaurants aren’t operating at full capacity because physical distancing is still required between tables. Many in the industry say those restrictions are unfair now that much larger venues, such as arenas and event spaces, can welcome capacity crowds.

- With files from Leslie Roberts, CTV Morning Live