I finally got a reply from the Ontario Minister of Health:
Thank you for your email to the Honourable Christine Elliott, Minster of Health, regarding third doses for travel.
All the vaccines approved by Health Canada are safe and of excellent quality, and will reduce the risk of infection, hospitalization and death. Ontarians who received two doses of any vaccine offered in the province are considered to be fully immunized and have strong protection against COVID-19 infection and severe outcomes, including against the Delta variant.
The Ontario government has no plans to offer a new vaccine series to individuals requesting an alternate vaccine for travel-related purposes; however, we will continue to monitor other countries’ vaccination requirements for international travellers and will revisit this decision, if necessary.
Many countries are currently developing their own travel related approaches. Each country will decide which vaccines and combinations meet their entry requirements. The province is working with the federal, provincial and territorial leaders to ensure we have a consistent approach to how Canada reopens the border safely.
As the federal government opens international travel, the Ontario government is advocating for the federal government to ensure that all fully vaccinated Ontarians will be able to travel internationally.
The Ontario government has asked the Government of Canada to:
- Work with jurisdictions such as the United States, the European Union, and others to consider Ontarians who received two doses of any vaccine schedule offered in the province as ‘fully immunized,’ both at international borders and in their activities within those jurisdictions
- Work with the World Health Organization (WHO) to update its guidance to international partners that mixing vaccines should be internationally accepted as a complete vaccine regimen
This includes both AstraZeneca and AstraZeneca/COVISHIELD, as well as a mix of any two Health Canada-approved vaccines.
The province is working with the federal government, who is leading efforts to implement a vaccine credential to support international travel. More information on vaccine credentials for international travel will be available in the coming months.
We encourage you to contact the Government of Canada to ensure they are aware of your suggestions and are able to take them into consideration as they continue to plan and implement a strategy on immunization credentials for Canadians.
Sincerely,
Correspondence and Corporate Support
Ministry of Health
Correspondance et soutien ministériel
Ministère de la Santé
And I'll say the same thing here, that is a nice concise answer and not just a 'we have no plans, beat it.'
Yes I posted in both places, and yes it was a decent answer I suppose? But the answers federally have always been "we're working on it, you'll see something in a few weeks" and then of course... election... ugh... so I haven't written the feds again yet, waiting to see who they put in place and then I'll be writing again.
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