Several municipalities have seen staff suspensions for failure to comply with mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies, but Guelph isn’t among them.
Mark Ellis, the city’s general manager of human resources, confirmed there have been no staff suspensions at this time.
“We’re really happy with the cooperation we’re seeing from our employee groups,” he said, noting 95 percent of staff have provided proof of being fully vaccinated. “I’m knocking on wood, but all seems to be going in the right direction for us.”
The city has 129 unvaccinated workers, Ellis added, explaining they’re participating in regular testing, as required in the policy.
“We are working with some employees individually to help them get into the testing process,” he said.
Any unvaccinated workers who fail to comply with regular testing requirements will be sent home without pay.
City officials announced the mandatory vaccination policy in late August, providing staff until Oct. 15 to show proof of full vaccination. Exemptions are made for medical, religious, and “other valid reasons” under the Human Rights Code, with a requirement for regular COVID-19 testing.
During the past few days, nearly 250 City of Toronto workers has reportedly been suspended without pay, as well as 43 at the City of London and three from the City of Cambridge.
