Vancouver councillors support vaccine mandate for city staff even as new rules don't apply to elected officials
Multiple Vancouver councillors are showing support for the city’s new vaccine rules for staff, even as elected officials don't fall under the mandate.
The city announced Monday that all of its employees would need to be fully inoculated by Dec. 6.
However, the mandate does not affect elected city councillors and park board commissioners due to ”different legal considerations in respect of such officials,” said a representative for the city in a statement.
Coun. Pete Fry says he supports the mandate, saying it’s important given that data shows the virus is being spread mainly by unvaccinated people.
Fry was unaware he and his counterparts on council were exempt from the mandate, but added that he is already fully vaccinated.
“As far as I know, all of us are vaccinated. I'm double vaccinated and got vaccinated quite a while ago,” said Fry.
He says it’s an issue he believes the entire council takes very seriously.
“I haven't actually heard anybody on council or the mayor reflecting any kind of anti-vax sentiment,” Fry said.
Later in the day, a statement from the City of Vancouver announced it had confirmed Fry's belief: while not required to be, all councillors are already fully vaccinated.
Coun. Sarah Kirby-Yung is also supportive of the policy.
“(I'm) personally proudly double vaxxed and ready to take any booster whenever it may be made available by the (provincial health officer),” wrote Kirby-Yung in an email to CTV News.
She was aware elected officials were exempt.
“I am not surprised by that as legally council are not employees, members have different status as elected representatives. Management can only set HR policies that relate to staff. The governance is very clear,” she wrote.
Kirby-Yung would like to see the city take even further action.
“I’ve been fully supportive of public health measures early on throughout the pandemic including a mask mandate in civic facilities which the majority of council voted down.”
The city says employees who do not comply with the new vaccine mandate will not be permitted in the workplace.
It has yet to specify whether they would be fired, or placed on administrative leave either with or without pay.
“If city councillors, or park board commissioners, wished to impose such a policy upon themselves, the city believes that it is better for them to approve and adopt their own policy,” said a representative for the city in a statement.
It’s a move Fry is open to.
“That's certainly something that I think this council would probably support,” he said.
The city will accommodate employees who require an exemption from the policy for medical reasons or other grounds protected under the BC Human Rights Code.
“We have a lot of frontline staff. We have a lot of staff that are working with vulnerable populations. So we do recognize this as an important imperative. But we also recognize that there are personal liberties and freedoms and medical issues that are going to play into this,” said Fry.
The full details of the policy are still being finalized.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Accused of burglary at stepmother's home, U.S. senator says she wanted her father's ashes: charges
A Minnesota state senator and former broadcast meteorologist told police that she broke into her stepmother's home because her stepmother refused to give her items of sentimental value from her late father, including his ashes, according to burglary charges filed Tuesday.
Australian police arrest 7 alleged teen extremists linked to stabbing of a bishop in a Sydney church
Australian police arrested seven teenagers accused of following a violent extremist ideology in raids across Sydney on Wednesday, as a judge extended a ban on social media platform X sharing video of a knife attack on a bishop that started the criminal investigation.