Ottawa pub owner says most customers respectful of vaccine certificate mandate
An Ottawa pub owner says his business has not seen a dramatic increase in conflict between patrons and staff over Ontario's proof of vaccination system so far.
Drew Dobson, owner of Finnigan's Pub in Vanier, told Newstalk 580 CFRA's "CFRA Live with Andrew Pinsent" that he believes most residents understand the system in place.
"We are turning some people away but most people know if they haven't been vaccinated they don't even try," he said. "The first day, we had a couple of people who chose to voice their opinions with their server, but she just sent them on their way."
Dobson says his sales are down overall compared to 2019, but it's not just the vaccination certificates that are keeping business slower than pre-pandemic times.
"Our sales are a little bit down still because of the other COVID restrictions. Putting tables two metres apart cuts our capacity in half," he said. "We're a neighbourhood pub. People go and they meet together. They're out with friends and stuff. Things like masking rules are not conducive to a social atmosphere. They're not going out to meet people, they can't get up and dance, they can't play darts, so it takes some of the fun out of going out to your local pub."
Dobson said a majority of his customers have been understanding of the system thus far.
"Generally people have been respectful and they understand that the businesses aren't making the rules. We're enforcing the rules on behalf of the government," he explained.
"There's no point in yelling at your server because they can't change them. The business owner, the same thing; they have no latitude to make exceptions for you, even though you might think we should. We just can't."
He added that the restaurant and bar industry is bearing a lot of the weight of COVID-19 restrictions, and it has an effect on staff.
"They work really hard and they take more abuse than they should have to for the pay they get," he said, of the industry. "They put in long hours. They were working when other people were allowed to be at home. It's rewarding because it's a social job and some people like it, but it's a tough job, especially during a pandemic."
Second pop-up vaccine clinic planned
Dobson said the more people who are vaccinated, the better it is for everyone.
He hosted a pop-up vaccination clinic at Finnigan's Pub last weekend and says he is working with Ottawa Public Health to hold another one soon.
"It went really well. I think we were one of the busiest clinics on that weekend. Forty-nine people, in the end, were vaccinated, many of them with their first dose, so that was encouraging," he said. "We're working with Ottawa Public Health to set up a second one so that those people can come and get the second dose as well."
Finnigan's Pub is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, Dobson said.
"We're a staple of the Vanier community and we felt an affinity for the community and we wanted to do what we could to make it easier and more accessible for people who wanted to get vaccinated to have that opportunity."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.