Vaccine passport: B.C. restaurant industry mulls asking province for subsidy to hire security guards

Some restaurant owners are asking the province for more support as B.C.’s COVID-19 vaccine card system is set to come into effect later this month.

On Sept. 13, everyone over the age of 12 will be required to provide proof of at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine to access certain businesses and events.

0:47 Police search for man who urinated on floor of B.C. Dairy Queen after mask dispute

The BC Restaurant & Foodservices Association said it is considering asking the province for enforcement support and would like fast-food restaurants to receive government subsidies to hire security guards.

“Certainly, restaurants don’t have the money to buy a security guard,” president and CEO Ian Tostenson said. “But I think the cost of not doing this properly is way greater than the costs of installing some security people in restaurants throughout B.C. that are a bit vulnerable to this kind of stuff.”

The call for more support comes after a video emerged showing an angry unmasked customer urinating on the floor of a Port Alberni Dairy Queen when he was denied service.

“There are no words to describe that,” Tostenson said. “It is disgusting. Our workers are not trained to deal with that kind of behaviour.”

When asked about a potential subsidy to allow fast-food restaurants to hire security, the B.C. government said it will be engaging with the business community and providing communication ahead of Sept. 13.

Tostenson said many quick-service restaurants are considering closing their dining rooms.

“They don’t want to see angry customers going up to the counter harassing a young worker — it could be their first-time job — because they’ve got some agenda about not wanting to get vaccinated,” he said.

RCMP are investigating the Dairy Queen incident as a willful, indecent act aimed at insulting or offending in a public place.