Kitchener startup says it has vaccine passport app ready for use
A CEO for a Kitchener-based startup says they already have vaccine passport software in place and have offered it to the Ontario government for free.
Back on Wednesday when the introduction of a mandatory vaccine passport for certain non-essential services, the province specified it wouldn’t come into effect until Sept. 22, and that the full rollout and system won’t be ready until October.
Before the announcement when many were calling for a vaccine passport system in Ontario, Martin Basiri and his software team at ApplyBoard in Kitchener had created a prototype.
“It didn’t take more than a couple of days,” he said. “We were able to assemble a team to put it together.”
The company already works with similar technology to approve student documents for immigration purposes.
“We built it months ago,” said Basiri. “It just happened to also be useful for a vaccine passport.”
To help fast-track the rollout, the CEO says he approached the Ontario government and offered up the software for free.
“It’s our duty to help society in these hard times,” said Basiri. “Since we have already have the technology, why not?”
The Ford government says it is already working on its own system.
“We have hardworking, smart people in Kitchener who have developed such a software, and he’s not even willing to look at it,” said France Gelinas, a health critic for the NDP.
The software can be viewed by anyone at showmyproof.com. All users have to do is type in the code “demo” and it brings up a vaccine passport prototype.
“Let’s build upon what he has, better, faster, and cheaper,” said Gelinas. “He’s offering it for free. How much cheaper could we get?”
In a statement, the Ontario government says it is, “developing its own made in Ontario app in consultation with private sector companies.”
Basiri says the province has responded to him, but is still unclear if the two sides will work together.
“If our technology ended up being in the hands of millions of people and saved lives, it’s just an honour for us,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.