Starting today, Manitoba residents must show proof of COVID-19 vaccination if they want to visit non-essential businesses such as restaurants, bars, bingo halls, gyms and movie theatres.

The province is hoping the vaccine passports will help it fend off a fourth wave of the pandemic.

Dr. Brent Roussin Manitoba's chief provincial public health officer, says the measure could help avoid another shutdown and encourage unvaccinated residents to get their shots.

A mask mandate for indoor public spaces is already in place, and outdoor gathering limits will be reduced from 1,500 to 500 as of Tuesday when food courts, museums and galleries will also require visitors to show immunization records.

Worship gatherings are not included in the vaccine mandates.

There have been opponents to the measures, with large rallies and protests held over the last week in Winkler, Steinbach, and Winnipeg. Organizers of rallies in Winkler say they want to turn the community into a "Sanctuary City" where people are free from the mandates. The Steinbach protest focussed on mask mandates in schools and vaccine mandates for staff.

A new poll finds the majority of Canadians support the idea of a COVID-19 vaccine passport.

The Leger survey shows 56 per cent of Canadian respondents say they "strongly support" provincial vaccine passports for indoor places including bars, restaurants, gyms, concert halls and festivals, while another 25 per cent say they "somewhat support" the measure.

Seven per cent were somewhat opposed and 13 per cent were strongly opposed.

The poll was conducted last week. Leger surveyed 1,515 Canadian adults between Aug. 13 and 15.

The poll can't be assigned a margin of error because internet-based surveys are not considered random samples.

Last week two Conservative MLAs spoke out against the vaccines. James Teitsma and Josh Guenter, say the government's move to make people show proof of vaccination goes too far. 

Teitsma faced criticism for his post against the vaccine mandates, which he said would only entrench people opposed to vaccines. In the post, he brought up past atrocities such as residential schools, the internment of Ukrainian and Japanese Canadians in WWI and WWII respectively, and forced sterilizations. 

“It is absolutely unacceptable and sheer ignorance to compare a vaccine mandate with residential schools, internment camps and forced sterilizations,” Manitoba Liberal Party leader Dougald Lamont says.

“The commonality that I’m trying to draw there is simply that popular opinion and public support shouldn’t be the measuring stick,” says Teitsma in a later update.

In his first press conference as premier, Kelvin Goertzen says he respects MLAs voicing concerns of their constituents but believes the best place for those conversations is within caucus meetings.

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With files from the Canadian Press