Saskatoon Chamber CEO, Regina restaurant owner react to lifting of COVID rules

Businesses in Saskatchewan will have to adjust to a world where the government doesn’t impose vaccine passports or mask mandates.

Premier Scott Moe announced Tuesday the proof of vaccination requirement is to be lifted on Monday. The mask mandate is to follow on March 1.

So what will the transition look like for businesses? And are they happy about it?

Jason Aebig, the CEO of the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce, is definitely positive about the idea.

“It’s a good sign if policy makers and (chief medical health) officials have looked at the whole picture and decided that we are at a different stage in this pandemic, and we can proceed on this basis; that’s great. That does mean we can get back to some semblance of what life felt like pre-March 2020,” he said Wednesday on Gormley.

However, that doesn’t mean Aebig thinks the plan is perfect. He would have preferred a slower, phased approach. But that’s not because of the virus itself.

“It’s less reflective of any commentary on the public health situation. It more reflects, I think, on some of the logistical or administrative unwinding that’s going to have to happen here with respect to the policies that employers and business owners put in place,” he said.

As an example, Aebig said it’s not as simple as dropping a vaccine passport overnight to some businesses.

“Some of the largest companies in our city also have some of this embedded in their contracts with suppliers and vendors who visit their sites. So if you’re in the construction business or you’re any of the big mining companies, your occupational health and safety team had already embedded or integrated this into corporate policy,” he explained.

While it may seem simple to just get rid of the vaccine passport in stores and other areas, Aebig insists it’s not so easy.

“This is more complicated administratively than people appreciate. It’s one thing to go into your local restaurant and get (vaccine) verified. If you’re visiting a worksite in this province right now, the whole process of (vaccine) verification is much more complex,” he said.

“And so that’s really what we’re talking about. Phase it out to give us a little bit of time to unravel all of this.”

While Aebig is happy overall about the move to end restrictions, it’s a different story for one Regina business owner.

Amanda Carter owns the Bar Willow Eatery, a restaurant on the shore of Wascana Lake. She’s worried there will be a dip in business when restrictions drop.

“(There are) kind of mixed feelings,” she said on Wednesday’s Greg Morgan Morning Show. “I know a lot of our clientele do come to us because they do feel safer.

“We have a large patio in the summer with lots of space and people can be outside, and in the winter we have a heated outdoor tent with lots of space. So a lot of customers did come to us because they felt it was the safer option to be able to be outside.

“We’re worried that we may see a slowdown because of this announcement, as people stay home and are cautious and kind of wait out the first couple weeks to see how things go.”

Carter also said lifting the mask mandate is “a little concerning,” but she’s willing to deal with it.

“The restaurant industry is one of the only industries where we’ve always faced customers that are unmasked, so they’ll wear a mask to get to their table, but once they’re at the table, the mask is off. So this is not a real big change to what we’ve already been experiencing,” she said.

However, she’ll likely still have staff members wear masks at work.