Peel Region officials, CMA disappointed with Ford’s refusal of hospital vaccine mandate

As more vaccine mandates begin to be enforced in Ontario hospitals, more health experts and officials are expressing anger at the Ford government’s decision to not bring in a sector-wide mandate.

Officials in Peel Region are adding their voices to the growing list of those unhappy with the decision.

“I personally would have preferred that vaccine mandate amongst all healthcare workers. It’s just my opinion,” said Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie during her weekly press briefing. “I know that the Premier has other concerns, and that is the shortage of staff and expertise in the hospitals.”

In handing down the decision on Wednesday, Premier Doug Ford pointed to a potential shortage of health care workers if vaccinations were made mandatory.

“When the impact of the potential departure of tens of thousands of health care workers is weighed against the small number of outbreaks that are currently active in Ontario’s hospitals, I am not prepared to jeopardize the delivery of care to millions of Ontarians,” said Ford in a statement.

Peel Region’s medical officer of health is among those who advocated for mandatory COVID-19 vaccines for frontline healthcare workers.

“If you work in a hospital, you might expect that you need to protect yourself against an infectious disease,” said Dr. Lawrence Loh.

“The reality is that you might come into contact with an infectious disease in a hospital and if you’re unvaccinated, potentially spread it to an individual who is unable to mount a strong immune response or create an outbreak that essentially shuts down part of the hospital,” added Loh.

“It’s basically pay now or pay later in respect of these challenges.”

The province’s decision goes against Ontario’s science table recommendation, which called for mandatory vaccinations for all healthcare workers to enhance safety, reduce the risk of staffing disruptions, and protect people working to treat others.

Despite the lack of a province-wide mandate, individual hospitals and organizations can implement their own vaccination policies.

“I’m aware that hospitals have taken on the responsibility themselves and are requiring their own staff to be fully vaccinated,” said Crombie. “I really think that was the right direction to go to ensure that frontline healthcare workers are all vaccinated.”

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The incoming president of the Canadian Medial Association (CMA) is calling the decision from the Ford government frustrating.

Dr. Alika Lafontaine admits it is not an easy decision to make — but he says a mandate would prioritize the patients safety and would reduce the number of workers who remain unvaccinated.

“I think at the end of the day when you have scarce resources you have to prioritize what is more important,” said Lafontaine.

Unity Health Network is the latest to enforce its own vaccine mandate — any worker at St. Michael’s, St. Joseph’s or Providence Healthcare failing to provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination by Thursday will be placed on unpaid leave.

A statement from CMA released on Thursday, says the decision to not mandate vaccines represents a larger failure of the system.

“When governments are unable to adopt every health measure necessary to protect their populations during a pandemic because it will mean that current staffing shortages will worsen, it’s a mark of ongoing system failure,” read the statement. “With early discussions of a fifth wave of the pandemic already underway, we need to bring solutions to this crisis now.”

The Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) released a statement on Wednesday, frustrated in the decision from the Ford government. The OHA says the province’s approach to ensuring that healthcare workers are vaccinated “remains vital to preventing” the spread of the virus.

We're disappointed @OnGov has decided against establishing a provincial standard for mandatory vaccination of health care workers. A provincial approach to health care worker vaccination remains vital to preventing the spread & scale of COVID-19. https://t.co/B888tGv2sw #onhealth pic.twitter.com/y9i99sTSL5

— Ontario Hospital Association (@OntHospitalAssn) November 3, 2021

“There’s a strong consensus among Ontario’s hospitals for a provincial policy requiring health care workers to be fully vaccinated,” OHA President Anthony Dale said in a news release.

“In mid-October, 120 of 141 hospitals from all parts of the province, totaling 94 per cent of sector revenue and employing 166,000 staff, endorsed the position submitted by the OHA on mandatory health care worker vaccination. Unlike the approach taken in other provinces, the OHA has recommended that each hospital work towards achieving a provincial mandatory vaccination requirement in a manner and timeline based on their own circumstances to ensure stability of clinical services during this transition.”

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said she’s skeptical of Ford’s figure about the scale of the potential worker shortage.

“If the government’s making decisions based on facts, then they should be showing people what it is that they’re making their decisions on. The minister has just indicated she’s not prepared to do that,” Horwath said.

“The experts made it clear that no unvaccinated person should be working in healthcare settings with the most vulnerable folks amongst us.”

With files from CityNews web editor Lucas Casaletto and The Canadian Press