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home / 世界杯决赛2022

loss of saskatchewan's vaccine checking app won't stop businesses from requesting proof

some venues were caught off guard when saskatchewan discontinued an app for checking customers' proof of covid-19 vaccination status.

by zak vescera

feb 16 2022
read time 3 minute read
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tcu place on 22nd street east in downtown saskatoon is seen in this november 2015 file photo. greg pender / the starphoenix
saskatchewan businesses say they were caught off guard when the provincial government axed an application to check customers’ proof of covid-19 vaccination status on monday.
venues that still plan to ask for that proof — even though it’s no longer required — say the app’s end won’t change their plans.
“we are status quo in respect to our policies,” regina symphony orchestra executive director mike forrester said.
regina symphony orchestra executive director mike forrester stands in front of a group of musicians in the holy rosary cathedral.
regina symphony orchestra executive director mike forrester stands in front of a group of musicians in the holy rosary cathedral. brandon harder / regina leader-post
the symphony was one of a variety of large venues that said they will still ask for vaccination proof after saskatchewan’s government its public health order on vaccine passports on monday.
when the passports were introduced last fall, the government debuted a twin set of phone applications to support it: a “wallet” containing a qr code and a “verifier” app that businesses could use to scan the code and determine it is genuine.
premier scott moe said last week that businesses that chose to request proof of vaccination after his government ended the mandatory program would do so of their own volition. on monday, it was announced that ehealth saskatchewan is now “decommissioning” the verifier app and it will no longer be downloadable.
that was disappointing to forrester, but he said venues can still check for proof of vaccination by way of the first “wallet” application, which will stick around. he said it’s a priority for his musicians.
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“we’re in a situation where our musicians are working literally elbow to elbow, sometimes for two or more hours on end,” forrester said.
ehealth saskatchewan said it paid $1.06 million for the two apps, which were collectively downloaded more than 770,000 times. when asked what it would have cost to keep the verifier application online, spokeswoman lorri thacyk said ehealth did not pay any money to operate the apps beyond the initial cost.
when asked why some businesses were surprised about the announcement, government spokesman robin speer said the province’s business response team was aware some businesses would continue to ask for proof of vaccination for contractual reasons and the wallet application will be available “for the foreseeable future.”
“saskatchewan will continue to make proof of vaccination records available to saskatchewan residents for use where needed,” speer wrote in a prepared statement.
some venues have inked contracts requiring them to ask for proof of vaccination in the near future.
in saskatoon, tcu place ceo tammy sweeney said she was also surprised the verifier app was scrapped.
vaccine proof for saskatchewan restaurants, theatres and other establishments came to an end feb. 14, 2022.
vaccine proof for saskatchewan restaurants, theatres and other establishments came to an end feb. 14, 2022. brandon harder / regina leader-post
“it was a surprise that it was removed, but it shouldn’t have been a surprise that it was removed,” she said.
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“we just thought we might have access to it for a little bit longer.”
she also believes the end of vaccine passports for accessing businesses in most of canada is coming, she added.
saskatchewan and alberta have already ended their respective proof of vaccination systems. ontario and manitoba have said they will follow suit on march 1 and quebec has said it will phase out use of the system by march 14.
sweeney said she expects the “grey area” of some performances having proof of vaccination and others not having it will pass quickly.
“i don’t expect it will be an issue for more than a month or so. i really don’t,” she said.
conexus arts centre ceo neil donnelly agrees. he said the loss of the verifier app will not change operations as long as the wallet app stays in place.
“i think once the rest of canada catches up and things start to settle down, the days of checking vaccines will soon be over,” he said.

zvescera@postmedia.com
twitter.com/zakvescera

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