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OAKVILLE, Ontario (LifeSiteNews) — An Ontario town prohibits engaged couples who have chosen not to take the COVID shots from obtaining a marriage license. 

Oakville’s regulations require that anyone who wants a marriage license from now on must show proof of inoculation. “Appointments for marriage licenses and ceremonies that have already been booked prior to September 22 will not require proof of full vaccination,” the city website says. “[H]owever, any new appointments for marriage licences [sic] and ceremonies will be required. Ceremonies will be held inside town hall as of November 4, 2021.” 

A marriage license is required to get legally married in Canada, meaning that Oakville’s rules effectively prohibit people who refuse the COVID shots from tying the knot. Couples cannot obtain a license online. “You must schedule an appointment to receive your marriage licence,” the city’s website says. “To be eligible for an appointment, please ensure that the intended date of your marriage is finalized and you have an officiant that has agreed to perform the marriage.” 

However, even proof of vaccination may halt plans to legally wed. “When you arrive at Town Hall for your scheduled appointment, you will be required to complete a COVID-19 self-assessment,” the city said. “If you do not successfully meet the screening criteria, you will not be allowed to enter the building and your appointment will be cancelled.” 

There could be a way around the COVID jab passport system for now, as not every city in Ontario requires proof of the jabs in order to obtain a marriage license. Halton Hills, for example, does not currently require inoculation proof to get the government marriage license. 

The new restriction on people who haven’t taken COVID-19 jabs fits in well with the province’s general approach to requiring the shots to access public places of business such as restaurants and movie theaters. 

Ontario has implemented a “vaccine passport” system for a host of private businesses as of September 22. 

The passport system applies to places such as bars, restaurants, gyms and theaters, according to CBC. “[S]taff must ask patrons to show certification that they received two doses of an approved vaccine at least two weeks before, along with identification that matches their vaccination document,” CBC reported. 

“It is not stated in the policy how businesses are expected to enforce the measures,” LifeSiteNews previously reported. “With the amount of people who may come and go in an establishment at a given time, it will not be practical for employees to diligently enforce the segregation mandate at all times.” 

Also in tune with restrictions in the province, an Ontario school board has barred unvaccinated children from participating in extracurricular activities. “The Limestone District School Board in Kingston, Ontario, unveiled a new policy on Tuesday that bans unvaccinated children from school sports teams and clubs,” LifeSiteNews reported October 6. “[A]ll eligible participants (born 2009 and earlier) including students, staff, officials and volunteers in all inter-school sports and some high-risk activities like extra-curricular music programs must be fully vaccinated (two doses plus 14-day waiting period),” the school board’s education director said. 

Canadian citizens have repeatedly rallied against inoculation segregation laws. 

Nearly 500 people took to the streets of Calgary on picnic blankets Sunday to protest the COVID-19 vaccine passports now required of restaurants and other businesses in Alberta,” LifeSiteNews reported September 28. 

“This is our protest because all the businesses in Alberta have denied access to unvaccinated people,” one attendee said. “So we have taken it to the streets and have created our own picnics. We have empty patios, busy streets.” 

Hundreds of police officers and other citizens joined together in Toronto on September 2 to reject COVID mandates and vaccine passports. 

LifeSiteNews has produced an extensive COVID-19 vaccines resources page. View it here.