Enhanced COVID-19 vaccine certificates now available to download for all Ontarians

By Michael Ranger

All Ontarians vaccinated against COVID-19, regardless of when their birthday is, can download their enhanced COVID-19 vaccine certificates as of Monday morning.

The provincial government has said the documents, which include a scannable QR code, will allow for faster entry into settings that require proof of vaccination.

The documents are available to download for any fully vaccinated Ontario residents as of 6 a.m. on Oct. 18. Residents whose birthdays fall between January and April were able to download the enhanced vaccination certificate through the province’s COVID-19 website on Friday, and further cohorts got access over the weekend.

The enhanced system officially takes effect on Friday but businesses can now start using the new app to verify the QR codes.

All individuals will need to access their certificate is their green health card. Identification will still need to be shown with the QR code for verification. The certificate will be available to print off for residents who do not own a smartphone.

Individuals can also call the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre at 1-833-943-3900 to have their enhanced vaccine certificate emailed or mailed to them.


RELATED: Vaccine certificate FAQs: What to know about Ontario’s mandated plan


Under Ontario’s vaccine certificate program, only those who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 — or have a valid medical exemption from a doctor — can access certain settings like theatres, gyms, nightclubs and indoor dining.

The Ford government say they working on a way to embed a medical exemption in the app for individuals who have received on for the COVID-19 vaccine.

Ontario’s app will be able to read QR codes from other provinces’ who have scannable vaccine certificates – such as Quebec and British Columbia.

The province says the app will collect no personally identifiable information. It will not request the user’s location or save any information that links specific areas, visitors or businesses to each other. Verified proofs of vaccinations are displayed for 30 seconds and then deleted.

The launch of the new app comes amidst speculation that Ontario will soon announce a plan for moving beyond the province’s current reopening framework, including ending capacity limits in venues such as restaurants and gyms where proof of vaccination is required.

A government source told CityNews that an announcement on lifting restrictions on capacity limits will made late this week. The source said the change in capacity would not be immediate at the time of the announcement.

Cinemas, theatres, concert venues, meeting and event spaces, and spectator sports venues were allowed to open with 100 per cent capacity as of Oct. 9. The move was met with criticism by some who say it leaves many small businesses at a disadvantage while larger event venues are able to operate with no capacity restrictions.

With files from the Canadian Press

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