Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson is asking the city manager to come up with a COVID-19 vaccination plan for all municipal employees by early September.
Watson sent a letter to city manager Steve Kanellakos on Tuesday afternoon, asking him to develop a “comprehensive vaccine policy” for city staff in Ottawa.
Citing recent moves from the federal government mandating vaccinations for public servants and from the province putting similar policies in place for high-risk environments like hospitals, Watson wrote that the city has a “responsibility to move in this direction.”
“I have every confidence that the staff of the City of Ottawa have the health and safety of colleagues and Ottawa residents as their top priority,” his letter read.
“Ultimately, we are asking our staff to do something that the vast majority have already undertaken, and while it may inconvenience a few, it is our duty to ensure our staff and residents are protected.”
Watson lauded the city for having “one of the highest rates of vaccination in the province.”
As of Tuesday, 84 per cent of eligible Ottawa residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine while 76 per cent have gotten both doses.
Watson asked for Kanellakos to work with unions to develop the policy, which he said should be in place before the Labour Day weekend.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story described Watson’s request as calling for a vaccine “mandate.” This story has been changed to align with his wording of “policy.”