Alberta launches new vaccine app
The province of Alberta unveiled its new app for businesses to scan to prove that someone has been vaccinated.
After a rollout delay, the app is now live on the Apple and Google Play Stores.
Businesses are able to scan the QR code of any customer and a green check mark will verify the authenticity of the vaccination.
It will also display a person’s name and date of birth, which businesses are asked to check against other identification.
“Our new proof of vaccine record and verifier app is more secure and easier to use for Albertans and businesses taking part in our Restrictions Exemption Program,” said health minister Jason Copping.
The AB COVID Records Verifier App is free to download.
As of November 15th, it will be the only way to verify someone’s vaccine status.
Businesses participating in the restriction exemption program will require two doses from customers as of October 25th for them to enter the facility.
Businesses will need to download some sort of QR code reader app.
The province said the vaccine record QR code is secure through a watermark and its storage of vaccine status. The new app will not store personal data.
One cybersecurity expert expects to see some hiccups with the rollout.
“We haven’t actually had a lot of time for testing is the concern and so here you are rolling out something very quick, because everybody kind of needs this app right now, “said David Papp.
“Yet, I think the adoption rate is going to take awhile.”
Those who do not have access to a cellular device, can get a printed copy of their QR code that verifies their vaccine status.
'THERE IS GOING TO BE SPEED BUMPS'
Nathan Newman, owner of Derrick Gin Mill & Kitchen said businesses will need time to implement the new verification status.
“There is going to be speed bumps,” he said.
“I mean I don’t think anything is going to go flawless in this day and age.”
Newman hopes the new app streamlines the process, especially when restaurants get busy.
“It’s going to create some confusion amongst patrons, probably amongst staff a little bit,” said Newman.
“So it’s going to take a week, bare minimum to get caught up.”
The province says anyone caught creating or using a false vaccination record is an offence subject to prosecution and/or fines of up to $100,000 for a first-time offence.
If there are issues scanning a QR code from your phone, officials say to zoom in on the code and increase the brightness. The QR code may not scan properly if the printing size is reduced or the paper copy is wrinkled.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.