BC Hydro announces vaccine mandate for employees; schools, ferries in more complicated situations
B.C.'s main electricity provider has joined the growing list of employers in the province that will soon be requiring their workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
BC Hydro announced the vaccine mandate Thursday afternoon, after Premier John Horgan hinted that such a decision was imminent during a news conference earlier in the day.
The utility company will require all employees working at its worksites and facilities to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 22, according to a statement.
"This date aligns BC Hydro with the date announced by the province of B.C. for the Public Service Agency and allows enough time for unvaccinated employees to be fully vaccinated," the statement reads.
Consultants and employees working for contractors and subcontractors will be required to show proof of vaccination by Jan. 10, 2022, according to BC Hydro.
The new policy will apply to more than 6,000 BC Hydro workers, including those working at the construction site for the Site C hydroelectric dam, where Northern Health declared a COVID-19 outbreak in August after 41 workers tested positive for the disease.
"BC Hydro will continue to work with its employees, unions and contractors in the coming weeks to further define the vaccination policy and provide details for accommodations for those who are unable to be vaccinated due to a medically approved exemption," the company said.
SCHOOLS, FERRIES AMONG EMPLOYERS STILL SORTING OUT REQUIREMENTS
The electric company's announcement comes on the heels of several other vaccine mandates announced by the provincial government earlier this week.
On Tuesday, the province added employees of the B.C. Public Service Agency - including correctional officers, wildfire fighters and social workers, among others - to the list of workers who will soon be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Health-care workers in the province were already subject to such a mandate.
The province also announced Tuesday that visitors to health-care facilities would be required to show proof of vaccination in the coming weeks.
During his remarks Thursday, Horgan repeatedly defended the provincial government's position on requiring immunization for teachers, saying it's up to local school boards - not the province - to implement such mandates.
“The districts are the employers,” he said. “We are the funder, to be sure, but there is a dual relationship here between (school board) trustees and the government.”
Another situation in which the provincial government isn't the employer - despite providing substantial funding - is that of BC Ferries.
Workers for the provincial ferry service are not under the purview of the B.C. Public Service Agency, but Horgan said Thursday that they will still be required to be vaccinated because they're employed in a federally regulated industry.
A spokesperson for BC Ferries told CTV News Vancouver the premier's assertion that all ferry workers are required to be vaccinated is not entirely accurate.
"Transport Canada’s directive speaks to companies that operate vessels with 12 or more crew," said spokesperson Deborah Marshall in an email.
"Some of our smaller ships operate with less than 12 crew. We are seeking clarification from Transport Canada on how the full extent of the requirements will apply to its employees. We expect to have it all sorted in a few weeks."
Passengers on BC Ferries vessels are not subject to federal proof-of-vaccination requirements introduced earlier this week. Those rules will apply to planes, trains and cruise ships, but not ferries.
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.
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.
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.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
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.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
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.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.