Brampton’s city employee COVID-19 vaccine directive takes effect Oct. 4

By

Published September 23, 2021 at 9:01 pm

(InSauga file photo)

The City of Brampton has given a timeline to any employees who are not vaccinated against COVID-19.

The city announced that its employee vaccination directive will go live on Oct. 4, a week from this Monday. A release pointed out that every municipality in Ontario has a “legislated obligation under the Reopening Act, and Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) to ensure a safe working environment for all employees.”

The official wording is a “COVID-19 Vaccination Administrative Directive,” rather than requirement. It notes that there has been consultation with labour partners and Peel Public Health.

That Oct. 4 date does not appear to be a hard deadline. All employees, contractors, consultants, students, and volunteers will be required to share proof of COVID-19 vaccination status by Oct. 15. Individuals with exemptions will be accommodated under the Ontario Human Rights Code.

Unvaccinated employees who decide to become vaccinated after Oct. 4 will be required to disclose their vaccination status by Nov. 14. Those who do not do so, as of Nov. 15, will be required to complete mandatory learning about COVID-19 vaccination and undergo regular COVID-19 testing. A negative test will need to be demonstrated in order to attend the workplace.

It takes a minimum of four weeks between the first and second doses of an mRNA vaccine to develop the optimal amount of immunity against the virus.

The city’s timeline was released one day after Ontario’s proof-of-vaccination law to enter certain settings took effect. The Ontario Human Rights Commission has affirmed that the regulation complies with the human rights code.

The City of Brampton has more than 6,000 employees.

— With files from Matt Dionne

insauga's Editorial Standards and Policies advertising