After being in place for nearly a year, the City of Toronto has announced it will lift its mandatory COVID-19 vaccine requirement for staff, volunteers and contractors next month.
The policy, which was announced in September 2021, will come to an end on Dec. 1.
“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 said in a news release.
Earlier this year, the city said it terminated 461 employees who failed to comply with the policy’s Jan. 2 deadline.
However, on Tuesday, the city said that roughly 350 unionized city employees who either did not disclose their vaccination status, or did not get vaccinated, will be offered reinstatement into an unpaid leave.
The city went on to say that staff members on unpaid leave will be eligible to return to work as of Dec. 1.
Toronto was one of a number of Ontario municipalities to keep its COVID-19 vaccination policy in place for employees after the province dropped its vaccine certificate system on March 1.
Before that, members of the public were required to present their proof of vaccination when entering restaurants, bars, gyms, cinemas, and several other public spaces.
To this day, some hospitals and long-term care homes across Ontario still require employees to be fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus although it’s no longer mandated at a provincial level.
Most public health restrictions in Ontario have all but lifted, though the province’s top doctor "strongly recommends" masks indoors for people who are older or with an underlying condition.
Last month, Dr. Kieran Moore said that he’s actively considering making a recommendation on masking for the general public amid what could be a “complex and difficult winter" battling COVID-19.
At this time, no such a recommendation or requirement has been issued.
The city said it will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation despite the removal of its vaccine mandate next month.
Meanwhile, the TTC says it’s aware of the city’s announcement and is discussing the development with its five labour partners.
“We are engaging with all of them as a courtesy to discuss the future of our mandatory vaccination policy going forward. Reinstating employees who were terminated for being non compliant with the policy is under consideration,” the city agency said in a statement published Tuesday.
The TTC said it terminated 354 employees who didn’t comply with its COVID-19 vaccine policy which has been in effect since Dec. 31.
For context, the Toronto Police Service announced the end of its vaccination policy in June of this year. Of the 205 members who were placed on indefinite leave after they missed the deadline to get vaccinated or failed to disclose their status, at least 101 were able to return to work on June 21.
