Toronto dropping mandatory COVID vaccines for employees on December 1
Posted November 8, 2022 4:36 pm.
Last Updated November 8, 2022 5:23 pm.
COVID-19 vaccines will no longer be mandatory for City of Toronto staff, volunteers and contractors as of Dec. 1, 2022.
The City announced the looming policy change on Tuesday, saying the evidence now suggests that mandatory vaccines are no longer necessary.
“Now, with more than 90 per cent of the public and 99 per cent of City staff with at least two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, the science and public health guidance and medical expert advice no longer supports the need for a policy that requires mandatory vaccination,” the City’s release stated.
RELATED: City of Toronto staff facing 6 week suspension, layoffs if not fully vaxxed
“The City continues to strongly encourage everyone to get vaccinated against COVID-19, including a fall booster dose to prevent severe illness.”
A total of 461 City employees were fired for not complying with the mandatory vaccine policy, which was introduced in September 2021. “Some of these staff were reinstated upon becoming compliant with the policy,” a City spokesperson told CityNews on Tuesday.
The City says 350 unionized employees were offered reinstatement into an unpaid leave on Monday, November 7. When the new updated policy comes into effect on Dec. 1, those employees will be able to return to work.
The changes come after “recent arbitration and negotiations with the unions,” the City said.
It’s not yet clear how man of those fired employees will return to their previous roles.
“City staff are currently developing a process to address reinstatements and working with unions to confirm which eligible staff accept the offer to be return to active service with the City,” the City spokesperson added.
