Starting in September, British Columbians will need to prove they’re vaccinated against COVID-19 to dine in a restaurant — but that’s not the case for staff working in them.
That’s prompted some in the hospitality sector to call on the province to mandate vaccines for employees.
Some businesses, such as Victoria’s Bard and Banker pub, have already taken the leap, requiring staff to either get the jab or be terminated.
“I think it’s our responsibility to keep our staff safe, our guests safe, and knowing how dangerous this variant has become, this Delta variant — it gets passed along so easily, it is more aggressive,” owner Matt McNeil told 980 CKNW’s The Mike Smyth Show.
“We’ve given them the six weeks to make their mind up. And the policy does say that if they choose not to, that termination is the right of the company.”
The pub’s decision echoes moves by some of Canada’s biggest companies, including major banks and Air Canada, to require that staff be immunized if they want to come to work.
But some in B.C.’s hospitality sector say it’s unfair to leave businesses responsible for making or enforcing the rule.
“We already have a massive labour shortage in this industry, so being out on your own, saying we’re going to have vaccine policies when others don’t, is going to be really complicated,” Jeff Guignard, executive director of the Alliance of Beverage Licensees, told Global news.
“We need government to provide some clear direction because it’s a much more complicated legal issue than having customers provide proof of vaccination.”
Danny Bernstein, a partner with legal firm Roper Greyell in Vancouver, said companies that require employees to work on site are in a strong position to require immunizations.
However, they would need to have options in place for people who can’t get the shot for medical or religious reasons, he added.
“Personal preference, albeit important, is not going to be a valid ground of objection,” he said.
However, amid the labour shortage, Bernstein acknowledged firms could face an “operational squeeze” by barring some workers.
He said companies may instead want to confidentially collect vaccination statuses to decide if they need to press ahead with stricter rules.
“I think one middle ground, or a step along the way for employers to do, is to start to get a feel for how many people are vaccinated in their workforce, do some surveys and get a sense of what the numbers of vaccinations are.”
As of Friday, 83.9 per cent of eligible British Columbians had received at least one does of COVID-19 vaccine, while 75.8 per cent of eligible people were fully immunized.
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