Alberta rolls out harsher harassment fines, business grants for vaccine passport program

CALGARY -

Heftier fines will soon be in place to protect employees from confrontations with customers, and businesses in Alberta that are abiding by the rules outlined in the province's restriction exemption program will be eligible for a $2,000 grant to help subsidize the cost of enforcement.

The provincial government announced the initiative Thursday afternoon that will help cover expenses brought on with the monitoring of customer vaccination records at entry. The funds may be utilized at the discretion of ownership.

A de-escalation training program is also being prepared by the government to equip businesses and their employees with best practices for reducing and defusing confrontations with customers.

The province also announced the fine for harassing staff members who are enforcing the vaccine passport rules will double from $2,000 to $4,000.

In addition to the grant, the province announced plans to introduce new legislation that will protect businesses that require their employees to be fully vaccinated. The legislation would potentially thwart employees from pursuing legal action or human rights violation claims based solely on vaccination requirements.