MLA called out for not using right proof of COVID-19 vaccination at Winnipeg café

A Winnipeg restaurant owner says MLA Janice Morley-Lecomte tried to get lunch in her café on Friday without showing adequate proof of vaccination, which has been a requirement in Manitoba for months.

Wendy May said when her staff at the Oakwood Café in south Osborne asked the PC MLA for her vaccine card, she instead produced a printed-out piece of paper. While that paper appeared to show Morley-Lecomte's vaccination record, it didn't have a QR code to scan to verify it was real, May said.

Restaurants across Manitoba have been required to check for proof of vaccination for dine-in customers since September. The government's website says the Manitoba Immunization Card and the Pan-Canadian Proof of Vaccination Credential — both of which have scannable codes — are acceptable forms.

May said when her staff told Morley-Lecomte she'd have to come back with one of those options, the elected official told them they were mistaken about the rules.

"[She] then piped up [and said], 'I'm an MLA,' and told us that we were wrong, even though we showed her the information printed directly from Shared Health, which shows province-by-province what is [an] acceptable form of proof of vaccination," May said.

"She wasn't rude, she wasn't unpleasant. It was just one of those situations that I felt it doesn't matter if you're an MLA or who you are. If the prime minister walked in without the sufficient proof, he would be asked to leave as well."

Morley-Lecomte, who has represented the Seine River riding since 2016, said in a statement on Sunday that she left the restaurant after showing the server a printed copy of her proof of vaccination, which she says she's used at other restaurants.

"If there was a misunderstanding, I do apologize. I had used the printed record multiple times at restaurants and other locations where proof of vaccination status is required and it was accepted," she said in an emailed statement.

"I have subsequently downloaded the QR code on to my phone."

Morley-Lecomte said in the statement that she's fully immunized against COVID-19.

In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for the premier only said the province expects all Manitobans, including elected officials, to follow and respect public health orders "in place to protect Manitobans from the impacts of COVID-19 and to ensure the health system can continue to care for those in need." 

May said she would have responded the same way to anyone trying to eat in her restaurant without following those rules — especially since business violators can face a $5,000 fine.

"For me, the money would be a hard thing to swallow, but it's the reputation as well. We don't want to be known as a business that just flouts the rules openly and willingly," she said.

"Nobody wants to turn business away, especially after the last nearly two years. But at the same time, until we're free and clear without any restrictions, we have to uphold them as they are."