London could follow in the footsteps of Toronto and make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for city workers.
Mayor Ed Holder expressed his support on Thursday to make the shot a requirement for the city's roughly 3,000 employees. However, he stressed that step can't be taken without the backing of public sector unions.
"We’re consulting with our senior administrative staff and labour partners here at the city," said Holder. "There are a number of factors at play, along with legal complexities, but it’s under review. It is important. Discussions are actively being solicited with those in our labour organizations within the city. I hope we get to that place.”
The push to mandate vaccination among London city staffers, comes after Toronto announced its city workers must provide proof of vaccination by September 13. Employees who don't disclose their vaccination status by that date must undergo a mandatory education session and the unvaccinated will have to provide proof of their first dose by September 30 and their second shot by October 30. Exemptions on medical or human rights grounds are being made.
Holder believes Toronto's vaccination policy was developed in consultation with its labour unions.
"I suspect what we have here is a negotiation that Mayor John Tory has likely had with various union groups that have been pressing the city to make some decisions," said Holder. "I would speculate that this has been a combined effort between the City of Toronto, the unions associated with this, the local health unit, as well as the provincial health officer."
No specifics on what a City of London plan for mandatory shots for city staffers would look like have been provided.
The city wouldn't be alone in mandating the shot locally. Western University issued a vaccination policy last week requiring all students, staff, and faculty to get both doses to be on campus this September. The Middlesex London Health Unit also requires all of its staff to be double vaccinated.
"We are trying to provide that example," said Dr. Alex Summers, the region's associate medical officer of health. "We know there are discussions and challenges as we navigate all of this and that those discussions are really important between employers and employees as we make our way to maximizing our vaccination coverage."
At the start of the week, about 82 per cent of all area residents aged 12 and older had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The percentage of the local population to receive both doses was nearly 73 per cent.
Summers added that the health unit is continuing to work with both the city and Middlesex County on different strategies to increase vaccination rates.
