The Capital Regional District has advised its 1,100 workers that they have to be fully vaccinated by Dec. 13 or face employment consequences.
District staff and volunteers will have until then to prove their vaccination status with their B.C. Vaccine Card.
The CRD said it believes it is the first regional government in B.C. to announce a vaccination policy.
Refusal to comply with the new policy, which employees learned about on Tuesday, could lead to termination.
“Throughout the pandemic, the CRD has aligned its response to support the overall provincial pandemic response and has continued to deliver critical and essential services to the region, such as drinking water, waste management, social housing, regional parks and emergency management,” said Bob Lapham, chief administrative officer.
“The CRD has, and continues, to strongly encourage all of its staff to be vaccinated. While we are confident that the overall vast majority of staff are vaccinated, implementing a vaccination policy at this time is one additional measure to ensure our workplaces, our staff, and our public are as safe as possible.”
The CRD does not have data on the number of employees who are not vaccinated. According to Andy Orr, senior manager of corporate communications, the two-month deadline was chosen to allow employees sufficient time to get two doses of the vaccine.
Accommodations will be made for employees who are unable to be vaccinated for legitimate medical reasons.
