September 20, 2021
The City of Edmonton is implementing a policy that requires all employees to be fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus by November 15, 2021.
“The health and safety of employees and Edmontonians is our top priority. We believe this is the right decision for our workforce, the right decision for protecting our community and the right decision for the health care system,” stated City Manager Andre Corbould.
The City of Edmonton recently introduced a vaccination disclosure policy to better understand how many employees had been vaccinated. The results of the disclosure as of the morning of September 13 were:
- 86 per cent of employees responded
- 72 per cent of employees indicated that they were fully vaccinated
“Information provided by our staff tells us that we need the additional control measure of vaccinations in our workplaces to minimize the serious hazard of COVID-19 to the greatest extent possible,” said Corbould. “We believe the vaccination policy, along with all of our other controls will provide a level of comfort and certainty.”
Physical distancing, capacity limits, pre-shift screening and indoor mask use are also essential in the response to COVID-19 and will continue in our workplaces.
Employees will need to have one dose by September 30 and two doses by October 31. This ensures that employees are fully vaccinated by November 15. Employees who are not fully vaccinated by November 15, 2021 will need to comply with ongoing COVID-19 rapid antigen testing up to twice per week at the employee’s own cost. If they do not register for testing they will be placed on a leave without pay.
The City will accommodate those employees who require an exemption from this policy on the basis of a protected legal ground, such as for medical or religious reasons.
