TORONTO – City of Toronto’s hard punch: all of its employees and all TTC workers must be fully vaccinated by October 30. Mayor John Tory (in the pic) announced it today: “The situation, with the delta variant extremely infectious, continues to have to be taken seriously. There’s just too much at stake not to take it as seriously as possible,” he said.
All members of Toronto’s public service, the mayor explained, will be required to provide proof of vaccination status by September 13. Staff who have not been vaccinated, or who do not disclose their vaccination status by that date, will be required to attend a mandatory information session on the benefits of vaccination. These unvaccinated individuals will then have to provide proof that they have received their first dose by September 30 and will have until October 30 to fully vaccinate with two doses of Covid-19 vaccine. “It’s about protecting our entire workforce of about 37,660 employees and ensuring that the city government is best prepared to withstand a fourth wave and the Delta variant, to protect the citizens we deal with every day and in the long haul to protect the provision of vital public services,” Tory said.
What Tory has not clarified, however, are the consequences that workers could face if they are not fully vaccinated by the deadline: the mayor said that the city “is not taking any option off the table” and that it will respect its human rights obligations and welcome employees with medical exemptions and those who are legally allowed to refuse the vaccine. “But we will not allow people who do not have a valid reason not to immunize themselves and to put themselves, their colleagues, their entire workplace, and in some cases members of the public, at risk. We can’t afford it,” Tory said.
Tory’s announcement today was followed by that of the TTC: “We will follow the example of City Hall and make Covid vaccinations mandatory for all employees – said spokesman Stuart Green – by September 13 all TTC workers, contractors and students will be required to show proof of the vaccination that has taken place and if they have not received even the first dose, to follow an informative lesson on the vaccine. By October 30th all our staff must be fully immunized”.
“We have thousands of frontline employees driving our vehicles, who are in contact with hundreds of thousands of our customers every day, so travelers need to know that our employees are doing their part,” the public transport system spokesperson added.
Green also said he believes most TTC workers are already fully immunized: details on the TTC vaccination protocol is being finalized and will be presented later this month.