Ontario reports 554 new COVID-19 cases, 16 more deaths
For the second time in the last three days, Ontario is reporting a week-over-week decline in the number of new COVID-19 cases.
Provincial health officials logged 554 new COVID-19 cases today, a notable drop from the 656 infections reported last Wednesday and the 660 cases confirmed two weeks ago.
Legal questions around rights linger as some provinces bring in COVID-19 vaccine passports
Several provinces are entering uncharted waters around the legality of vaccine passports that require patrons of a wide variety of establishments to be fully vaccinated with the COVID-19 shot.
Manitoba and Quebec have brought in vaccine passports in recent weeks, while British Columbia and Ontario announced they would implement such policies beginning later this month. On Tuesday, Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey announced the province would follow Quebec’s lead and introduce a vaccination passport that uses a QR code, while Yukon Premier Sandy Silver said the territory was launching an online vaccine credential system. Officials in New Brunswick and P.E.I. have said those provinces will likely also institute their own vaccine passport systems soon.
Governments are permitted under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to limit basic freedoms if they can show why such a limit is reasonable. But there is scant Canadian case law on what is reasonable in a health emergency.
