City of Winnipeg expands COVID-19 vaccine mandate to all staff

The City of Winnipeg is expanding its COVID-19 vaccine mandate, requiring all city employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by mid-February.

On Monday, city officials said all employees will be expected to be fully vaccinated by Feb. 22, 2022, meaning they have to get their first dose by Jan. 11, and their second dose by Feb. 8.

"This was not a decision we took lightly. By requiring all of our employees to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, we are doing everything we can to keep our employees safe and to protect the critical services they deliver to our residents," said Winnipeg CAO Michael Jack.

Jack said this expansion of the city vaccine mandate will now include about 10,400 employees. He said the city will be collecting vaccination status information from staff in the coming weeks.

The city said any employee who is unable to get vaccinated due to medical reasons will need to do regular COVID-19 testing.

"There will also be opportunity for any who wish to assert either a religious or medical exemption – that will be part of the process," Jack said. "For those who wish to opt solely for a testing program, we will be making rapid testing kits available."

Jack said so far, no one has applied for a religious exemption. He also said the cost of the rapid testing kits are being covered by the city for now, but that could change in the future.

He said employees who do not get vaccinated will be required use an online learning tool to get credible and reliable medical evidence about COVID-19 vaccines. Employees who don't comply with the vaccine mandate will be placed on unpaid leave.

"In terms of termination, that has been an option we have considered carefully from the beginning. It still remains an option that we may institute at some point," Jack said.

"We really have considered termination as a last resort tool. It remains an option."

Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman said he would support terminations if and when it is appropriate.

"I, for one, feel that at some point if you call yourself a public servant, if you are paid by taxpayers to serve the public – you should serve the public and go get your vaccine," Bowman said.

Jack said no city employees have been terminated due to the first vaccine mandate which came into effect on Nov. 15, 2021.

As of Monday, the city said 5,500 front-line staff are currently required to be fully vaccinated. Of these employees, 97 per cent are fully immunized while 175 are going through regular COVID-19 testing. There are 12 employees on unpaid leave for failing to comply with the vaccine mandate, the city said.