FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. -- With warm welcomes and great homestyle cooking, a sign on the door of TJ’S Country Kitchen says it's a peaceful place for all.

That very same sign also states that they're openly defying the Province of B.C. by not enforcing the vaccine passport.

British Columbia's Premier was blunt when asked about restaurants like the one in Fort St John.

“For those who want to, there will be consequences for that,” says Premier Horgan.

While TJ’S Country Kitchen is not discriminating based on vaccine status, they're running the risk of a $2,300 fine.

That's for every customer who is not asked to display proof of having at least one shot.

The Fort St. John RCMP says they will enforce the public health order but only if someone reports the business.

“We’re looking at a list of about 60 -70 restaurants that aren’t doing it, openly defying it,” says Ian Tostenson, B.C. Restaurant and Foodservice Association.

The B.C. Restaurant Association says only about 1% of table-service restaurants in B.C. are not following the law.

About the few restaurants flouting the law, Totenson says they need to be fined and they need to be shut down.

While the province did confirm enforcement has started, they declined to give specifics about individual businesses and how many tickets have been issued.

“We want common sense to prevail,” says Premier Horgan.

CJDC spoke to the owners of TJ’s country kitchen off-camera and they politely declined an interview.

However, they did say they wanted to speak with Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Officials to explain the stand they are taking before issuing a statement to the media. 

 

 

With files from CTV Vancouver.