Mandatory vaccination for public servants officially in place
Teachers and staff in the Winnipeg School Division (WSD) were back in class Monday with new public health orders officially in place.
In September, the province announced all public servants who have direct and ongoing prolonged contact with vulnerable populations will need to be fully vaccinated or undergo regular testing.
Senior Information Officer for WSD, Radean Carter said it’s the largest school division in the province, but the number of people requiring testing is limited.
“We have approximately 4,600 full-time staff, and less than 10 per cent of those, probably about seven or eight per cent now need to be tested because they have chosen not to show vaccination status,” said Carter.
Carter said the WSD has approximately 2,800 substitute teachers, education assistants and custodians, 2,000 of which will also require testing.
She said the gymnasiums at Grant Park High School and Tec Voc High School are being used outside of school hours for testing.
“Staff who don’t have proof or haven’t provided proof of vaccination will have to do the three times a week testing, one of them being observed,” Said Carter.
Louis Riel School Division (LRSD) has a high rate of vaccination as well.
In a statement to CTV News, the division said:
“97 per cent of our more than 2,000 staff are fully vaccinated, and we anticipate that number to grow in the coming days and weeks as individuals continue on their journey. The remainder who are not yet fully vaccinated have been following the testing protocol that has been in place in LRSD since Sept. 8 as per our Mandatory COVID-19 Vaccination for Staff & Visitors policy.”
In the Seven Oaks School Division, more than 97 per cent of staff and teachers are fully vaccinated, with six staff members choosing to leave without pay.
Shared Health tells CTV News of their 42,000 staff, close to 32,000 have completed their disclosure process, and 94 per cent are fully vaccinated.
It said as of Monday, 30 direct care workers across the province who refused rapid testing were sent home.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) represents 18,000 support workers across the province.
Health Coordinator, Shannon McAteer said they’ve been encouraging members who are eligible to get vaccinated.
“The main concern that we’ve had is more about the privacy of the testing. Being able to make sure that the fact that you have to get tested is private,” said McAteer.
Carter said when more people get vaccinated WSD will be able to reduce the hours for rapid testing sites.
“We can have just one smaller location for that testing to be done each week.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.