The City of Hamilton’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy for municipal employees will be staying put for now, despite Ontario’s chief medical officer of health suggesting such policies are no longer required.
Dr. Kieran Moore said last week that he thinks the period of highest COVID-19 risk is over and that means workplace vaccination policies are “no longer necessary” and recommended that they be removed by March 1 — the same day the province’s proof-of-vaccination system is lifted.
During a media briefing on Tuesday, Mayor Fred Eisenberger said the city will be reviewing the policy but there are currently no plans to lift it.
“Given that, so many of our staff have done the right thing by getting vaccinated as required and that a healthy and safe work environment is still very much a responsibility for our corporate entity, that that vaccine verification process may very well continue.”
He said 97 per cent of city staff have complied with the policy.
As it stands, any City of Hamilton employees who aren’t fully vaccinated by May 31st will be fired.
ATU Local 107, which represents local transit workers, has indicated that it plans to go to an arbitrator to fight the city’s mandatory policy.
Union president Eric Tuck told Global News that 87 per cent of Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) employees are fully vaccinated and called the policy “heavy-handed.”
Eisenberger acknowledged that there could be more challenges to the policy, but for now, the city is holding firm on that May 31st deadline.
“None of it’s been easy. I think putting the requirement in place was not an easy decision either. And so we’re reviewing whether or not we continue on with that.
“I think the likelihood is pretty high that we will.”