‘Ignorant, selfish’: B.C. restaurant association on campaign to target businesses over vaccine card

Restaurants across B.C. are being warned of a possible campaign by opponents of B.C.’s vaccine card that could cost them a lot of money.

The so-called Project has been mentioned on a number of social media platforms, suggesting that people phone in fake orders to restaurants that say they’re going to enforce the vaccine card, starting on Monday.

“Anybody who wants to play mischief with us are ignorant, selfish, short-sighted,” Ian Tostenson, president/CEO of the BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association told Global News.

“I’m disgusted.”

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He said they have been informed there are posts going around social media and they have been sent a letter that is being circulated in some communities from a group called the Canadian People’s Union saying they are going to sue restaurants enforcing the vaccine card program for being “unconstitutional.”

“Imagine this, all these small business owners and their staff, being threatened by a bunch of people and this is an industry that’s been on its heels for 18 months,” Tostenson said.

“And now we’ve got people using our industry as a way to discuss whatever their frustration is in life and we’ve got nothing to do with this. We’re following the law and we’re doing it because it’s the best thing for public health in our province.”

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He said they are advising restaurants not to take pick-up or take-out orders over the phone without a credit card.

“We’ve got to push back against this minority of people that want to continue to disrupt things and we’re spending way too much time on that versus doing the right thing and moving ahead and getting this pandemic behind us,” he added.

Tostenson said the best way to support small businesses in communities is to get the vaccine card and go out to eat or pick up some food.