Ford to speak this Friday on plans to move Ontario out of Step 3

Ontario is considering a further easing of pandemic restrictions and an announcement could come as soon as Friday as health officials say the COVID-19 situation is improving in the province, CTV News Toronto has learned.

Sources with knowledge of the plan say the Ford government is working on a post-Step three strategy that will lift capacity limits on businesses where vaccine certificates are required — a plan that will be announced next week.

As part of that “phased approach” sources say the government is looking at potentially relaxing mandatory proof of vaccination rules, as long as the province’s pandemic picture continues to improve.

“[We are] looking as possibly getting to a point where vaccine certificates won’t be mandatory anymore,” a source with knowledge of the plan said.

While there is no timeline to implement that phase of the plan, the source added the vaccine certificate program would still be voluntary.