Unvaccinated City of Hamilton employees face end of May deadline to get shots

The clock is ticking for about seven per cent of the municipal workforce — 552 City of Hamilton employees.

City councillors have approved changes to the city’s COVID-19 vaccination policy, which gives employees until the end of May to get fully vaccinated, or lose their jobs as of June 1.

There are 474 employees who have been undergoing twice-weekly rapid testing since early November 2021 who are affected, along with 68 workers who have refused testing or not disclosed their vaccination status.

Mayor Fred Eisenberger said those staffers have “plenty of runway” to come into compliance.

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“There’s ample opportunity for them to take the vaccine that everyone else has benefitted from,” stressed Eisenberger.

Human resources director Lora Fontana said the tougher policy is needed to ensure a safe workplace, since it has become more difficult to access an “adequate and reliable supply” of rapid test kits.

Fontana added there is also concern with “the efficacy of these tests, and whether two times a week is still appropriate, and if it will provide us with the information we need to ensure a healthy and safe work environment.”

Eisenberger told 900 CHML’s Good Morning Hamilton that cases are popping up with city employees much like everywhere else across the region and the concern is how closely they tend to work with each other in the community.

“The only place where we don’t have immediate contact with one another right now is on the administrative side of City Hall specifically at some of our service centers,” Eisenberger said.

“So … the impact is … not only city services but city employees, public health employees, hospital employees, paramedics and fire.”

The mayor doesn’t believe the potential for some employees to be terminated will have an effect on any public services come June.

“The senior leadership team has all looked at this, whether it’s fire or paramedics or public health or public works. They all believe that they can … manage this going forward” said Eisenberger.

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