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Town’s vaccine policy goes into effect for committee, board members

December 9, 2021   ·   0 Comments

The Town’s deadline for Council, committee, and board members to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or be removed for non-compliance passed last Tuesday (Nov. 30). Out of 73 committee and board members, 13 (18 per cent) are being removed for failing to disclose their vaccine status or receive vaccination by that deadline.

All members of Council are vaccinated.

The Town of Orangeville announced the implementation of a COVID-19 mandatory vaccination policy in October.

It was hailed as an effort to protect the community, provide a safe working environment, and be consistent with public health advice.

While the deadline for Council, committee and board members to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 recently passed, all Town employees are going to be required to disclose their vaccination status by Dec. 31, 2021 unless they have a valid exemption.

All active Town of Orangeville employees have provided their vaccination status to the Town as part of the mandatory vaccination disclosure policy.

As of Tuesday (Dec. 7), 95.5 percent of Town of Orangeville employees have two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, with that percentage set to rise to 97.2 percent by year-end.

Employees who are not fully vaccinated or who have not disclosed to date are being notified if they are not fully vaccinated by December 31 that they will be put on a six-week unpaid leave. After this period, those who are not compliant will be terminated with cause.

“It is gratifying to see the majority of Town employees have stepped up to keep themselves safe, along with their colleagues and the community we serve,” said Orangeville CAO Ed Brennan. “Their actions are very much appreciated during these challenging times. We remain hopeful that we can reach 100 percent compliance with the vaccination policy for everyone’s betterment.”

The Town is acting to meet its obligations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act to take every precaution reasonable to protect employees from workplace hazards, including COVID-19. The Town will continue to comply with its human rights obligations. Staff who are not able to obtain a COVID-19 vaccine under a protected ground set out in the Ontario Human Rights Code, will be entitled to accommodation.

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