Premier Blaine Higgs has announced all public sector employees will need to be vaccinated.
He made the announcement on Wednesday outside the provincial legislature. He says the problem right now is people procrastinating in receiving the shot.
The details on exactly how this “requirement” will work weren’t released on Wednesday, but Higgs said he will do more if people don’t start rolling up their sleeves within the public sector.
“I do say this under a recommendation from public health. It’s a public health advisory,” he said in an interview with reporters. “In this sense, it’ll be a requirement that if we have to go further with regulation, time will tell.”
Late last month, one of the province’s two health authorities said it was in a discussion on whether to make the shot mandatory. Higgs said this mandate includes health authorities, long-term care workers, and teachers under the province’s jurisdiction.
Higgs said anything with government funding will face this requirement.
He asked government lawyers in May to look into whether COVID-19 vaccination could be a condition of employment for those working in long-term care homes.
Higgs wanted to know if it could be an option should vaccination rates among employees remain low.
Back in July, the Department of Social Development also said it was not considering make vaccinations mandatory.
“Clarifying that I should say because I’m saying right here and now we are going to proceed what a mandatory vaccine program,” he said.
Other places making the mandate
Ontario’s Progressive Conservative Premier Doug Ford is requiring his entire caucus to be vaccinated, according to government whip.
Government whip Lorne Coe has issued a letter saying it was discussed at a caucus meeting that “every member of the Progressive Conservative team” must get vaccinated unless medically unable to do so.
Two PCs are facing removal if they don’t get the shot by Thursday, according to the Canadian Press.
Several Canadian universities have made it mandatory, including the University of Ottawa, Carleton University and Western University.
None of New Brunswick’s universities will mandate the vaccine, according to previous email statements from the three universities.
At least 71.5 per cent of New Brunswickers are fully vaccinated, with the numbers slowly increasing.
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