Ottawa Community Housing introduces mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy for staff, contractors

OTTAWA -

All staff and contractors with Ottawa Community Housing must be fully vaccinated.

The social housing provider has announced "the required COVID-19 vaccination" policy for all staff and contractors working in community housing facilities.

"Starting next week, proactively, employees will be able to disclose their vaccination status," said Mathieu Fleury, Rideau-Vanier Councillor and chair of Ottawa Community Housing.

"We're requiring as an employment condition."

Ottawa Community Housing employs 400 people, along with contractors from various companies in Ottawa.

"We've stayed open through the pandemic. We go into tenants' homes to do repairs and so on, so we want to make sure that we're protected and we protect tenants as well," said Fleury on Newstalk 580 CFRA Ottawa Now with guest host Andrew Pinsent.

Fleury says Ottawa Community Housing is looking at different models to enforce the mandatory vaccination requirements for employees.

"We'll call it a progressive approach," said Fleury, adding OPH is looking at the City of Toronto's approach and consulting with the City of Ottawa.

"There's a human resources side, there's a legal environment to that. Ultimately, we know that the majority are complaint and will self-disclose and that's obviously an employment condition, and the remainder there are a wide range of approaches and options that exist. Ultimately, we want to ensure that our essential workspace remains safe and is complaint."

Mayor Jim Watson directed city staff to develop a COVID-19 vaccination policy for all city of Ottawa employees. City manager Steve Kanellakos told Newstalk 580 CFRA on Thursday that the policy will align with federal and provincial regulations.