The President of the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce says the sense he is getting is that local businesses are welcoming the introduction of a BC vaccine card.

Speaking on NL Newsday, Dan Carroll says the City’s business community is looking for any tool or technique that can keep the economy going and growing.

“The thinking behind this vaccine card form the business perspective is, ‘okay it is a step that needs to be take to allow those who are double vaccinated to access those services or those sectors of our economy that would otherwise be closed.’ So while it may be tough for some, I think it is generally a good thing,” Carroll said.

Announced on Monday, Carroll hopes that having this program mandated will limit confrontations between people and staff, as it is no longer up to the discretion of business owners and employees whether or not to require the vaccine card.

“When we didn’t have mask mandates for example, that’s where the discretion came to bear and that’s where there was some more conflict between public and employees,” he added.

“But once the mask mandate came in there is really no debate. You might have people that don’t like it and sound off, but it is not a decision point for the staff person or the businesses.”

Data from the BC Government says there were 19,084 new COVID-19 vaccine registrations and 16,833 new appointments booked on Monday and Tuesday this week, with the majority (12,904 registrations and 11,301 appointments) in people under the age of 40.

Similarly, the BC Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, Fiona Famulak, said they are pleased to see the program brought in by the government.

“While this is an important step in helping businesses keep employees, customers, and patrons safe while rebuilding consumer confidence and restoring business, how the program works in practice must be carefully decided,” she said.

“Burdening businesses and frontline employees with enforcement of public health related initiatives is not appropriate and must be handled in an informed way and with all stakeholders in mind. We are here to provide insight from business, and we invite government to work with us on these details to ensure a fair program is achieved.”

Some B.C. Chambers of Commerce voicing concerns over vaccine passports

Several Chambers of Commerce in B.C. though have been voicing their opinions on vaccine cards (or passports as they’re called sometimes), including Dawson Creek, Chetwynd, Tumbler Ridge, and Kelowna.

In a release, Patricia Adamson, the President of the Dawson Creek Chamber of Commerce, said neither the board of directors nor the membership were consulted by the BC Chamber of Commerce regarding its support of the vaccine card.

“We believe this is an overreach of government into the already complex day-to-day operations of our small businesses,” she said. “We also recognize the additional burden to employers who initiate and support a passport program compounded by the concerns of who will regulate and enforce customers as they enter their business.”

Meanwhile, the Executive Director of the Chetwynd Chamber of Commerce, Naomi Larsen, says they did not give their approval to the as a member of the BC Chamber of Commerce.

“The Chetwynd Chamber of Commerce and myself have been trying our best to serve all businesses in our community as well as our members during this pandemic and will continue to do so,” Larsen said, in a statement. “Our businesses and members will need our help and understanding now more than ever.”

Jerrilyn Kirk, the Executive Director of the Tumbler Ridge Chamber of Commerce, also said they do not support the BC Chamber’s position or the layout of the order.

“We see this as a complication that will add hardship for our local small business,” said Kirk.

In Kelowna, which has long been the hotspot for new COVID-19 cases, the Chamber of Commerce has called for a delay in the BC government’s implementation of its vaccine passport system.

“The common ground seems to be a desire to return to normal, but there are fundamental differences over whether requiring some private businesses to refuse service to unvaccinated customers is consistent with that goal,” Kelowna Chamber President Jeffrey Robinson said.

Executive Director, Dan Rogers, added that there needs to be clarity so that employees are not unfairly put in conflict with customers.

“We would encourage government to re-examine the timeline for implementation so businesses can fully understand and reasonably plan for what it appears the government is going to ask them to do,” he said.

The Kelowna Chamber also noted it had surveyed 268 of its 1,000 members to find out what they think of the new program, with a majority – 57 per cent – saying they were in favour, while 36 per cent were opposed, and another seven per cent were unsure.

Robinson also said the government needs to look at alternatives to a vaccine passport system – like rapid testing – given that “a significant minority of Kelowna’s population is “deeply” opposed to vaccination.

“There are many businesses not being subject to mandatory vaccine verification that are eager to protect their employees and customers using testing,” he said.

The government’s vaccine card is set to be in place until January 31, 2022, though it could be extended further, if needed.

For more on the announcement, including a full list of businesses and events that will require proof of vaccination, go here.

– With files from Victor Kaisar