Passport price tag: Community centre budgets strain to pay for vaccine enforcement

Three times a week, Rick Corby hits the ice at the Huntington Hills Community Centre.

It’s just one of several activities the 71-year-old engages in every week to stay in shape.

Each time he arrives, he needs to show proof of his COVID-19 vaccination.

“Everybody says it’s going to be a way of life,” he says, “I go here but I also go to Thornhill pool and I walk the dog in the park –if you go inside there, you also have to show your vaccine proof to security.”

Rinks, community centres and other small businesses have hired extra staff to enforce the province’s vaccine passport program.

That means someone posted at the door, making sure everyone who comes inside is fully vaccinated.

The government offered a $2,000 grant to each of them to offset the costs, but most say that money has long run out.

“We need someone here morning to close,” says Rick Lundy, who runs the Huntington Hills Community Centre, “We have curling, we have an arena as well, we have gyms, we have school care so we are a very busy facility…there is a cost to that. So far it has cost us about $ 20,000 dollars – its $5,000 a month to have someone at the front door checking vaccinations.”

THE SQUEEZE OF RESTRICTION ENFORCEMENT

Many of those businesses feeling the squeeze of restriction enforcement are hoping the province will top up the grants it gave out last fall - but the premier says that’s not the plan, at least not yet.

“We'll take a look at that,” says Jason Kenney, “But I hope that won't be necessary in the foreseeable future…I know it's been a pain, it's been a hassle, but they've been doing their part to help to keep the families going to their community rink safely. And so I really want to thank them for the effort and sacrifice they've made.”

Rick Corby says he’s just glad the rinks and the pools are doing what they can, and paying what they can, to stay open so he can stay active.

“I’ve got to do this," he says, after finishing another lap on the ice, “I’ve got to do this or I go crazy and can’t sleep at night. It’s important for me to stay moving.”

The province hasn’t said when the vaccination passport system will wind down, though the premier says he hopes to do that in March.