Wingham restaurant owner found guilty of defying COVID regulations

Buck and Jo’s Restaurant owner Stephen Hill talks with Huron Perth Health Unit inspectors about COVID regulations in Wingham, Ont. on Nov. 12, 2021. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)

The owner of a Wingham restaurant has been found guilty of refusing to enforce Ontario’s COVID vaccine passport program in 2021. 

Stephen Hill, owner of Buck and Jo’s Restaurant in Wingham, was issued a Section 22 order by the Huron Perth Health Unit on Nov. 5, 2021, to start checking patron’s vaccine status before entering his restaurant for dine-in purposes.

Hill had been openly defying that order since the introduction of the legislation by the government, and when confronted by the health unit to close down the dine-in portion of his restaurant, a heated discussion with inspectors ensued. 

Sign on window of Buck and Jo’s Restaurant in Wingham, Ont. on Nov. 12, 2021. (Scott Miller/CTV News London)On Feb. 28, 2023, in a Goderich courtroom, Hill was found guilty of not checking for proof of vaccination, not providing a safety plan, and failing to co-operate with Huron Perth Health Unit enforcement officers. He was ordered to pay a $5,500 fine. 

It is expected Hill will appeal his sentence. He put out an appeal on one of his social media pages for anyone that was willing to help fill out the paperwork required for an appeal.