Algonquin College has joined Carleton University, the University of Ottawa and other post-secondary institutions across Ontario in mandating a full course of COVID-19 vaccinations for anyone planning to be on campus at the college this fall.
The policy, announced Wednesday morning, applies to all students, faculty and visitors to any of Algonquin’s three campuses in Ottawa, Pembroke and Perth.
Starting Sept. 7, anyone on campus will have to show proof of having received at least an initial dose of an approved COVID-19 vaccine. A second dose must be administered before Oct. 12.
Declaring one’s vaccination status is likely to be done via app, but technical details around the policy are still to come.
Medical and human rights exemptions could apply to some members of the college community.
Classes already scheduled to be either in person or remote-only at Algonquin this fall will proceed as planned.
Algonquin president Claude Brulé announced the updated policy in a letter to all employees and students. In it, he cited “evolving public health guidance” as the impetus for the vaccine mandate.
“We continue to make progress towards a return to a more normalized campus environment. With your cooperation and commitment, our mandatory vaccination policy will be another tool to help us reach that goal,” he wrote.
Both uOttawa and Carleton announced they would implement a full vaccination mandate last week.
On Tuesday, the province said that it would require vaccine mandates in certain high-risk settings, including post-secondary institutions.