In a swift decision, Thunder Bay City Council unanimously voted in favour of a Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccine Disclosure for certain groups in the municipality.
An amendment from Red River Ward Councillor Brian McKinnon that was agreed upon means this will include all city employees, students, volunteers, and members of councils.
This is not a mandated vaccine policy, but means all individuals that fall within these groups will be required to provide proof of vaccination to administration by September 24.
Anyone who does not will be considered “non-vaccinated.” People who are not vaccinated or did not share their vaccination status will have to complete mandatory education on vaccinations by October 1.
Beginning November 1, people not fully vaccinated or who did not provide vaccination status are required to submit rapid antigen testing for COVID-19 and provide proof of a negative test. It has not yet been determined how often this will have to happen.
The city is also stressing that all vaccine records will be safely stored and will not be disclosed without the individual’s consent.
A person will have to provide receipts for both doses they have received of a Health Canada approved vaccine, as well as other doses or boosters.
This is not a first in Ontario as cities such as London, Ottawa, and Toronto have released or are in the process of releasing similar policies in their municipalities.
In terms of cost, it would not appear the financial burden will fall locally. Currently, the majority of non-vaccinated employees that will be involved in the new city policy will receive rapid antigen tests which will be paid for by the province.
While there will be costs such as staffing and data management for the municipality, they are saying it will fall within approved budgets, and be tracked in COVID-19 cost centres when appropriate.
