Woodlands County will be invoking a COVID-19 policy that emphasizes safety instead of mandatory vaccinations.
A COVID-19 policy was a hot subject of debate at the County’s Nov. 10 meeting.
County administration came to council with a letter from the Minister of Community and Social Services, and the Minister of Health. The letter strongly encourages municipalities to bring in a mandatory vaccination policy for their employees.
In administration’s recommendation, they note that the majority of the County’s employees are already vaccinated, but making it a policy would help in making employees feel safe in returning to work.
County council was practically unanimous in their distaste for such a policy.
Councillor Peter Kuilken seemed to capture the mood when he described it as something that the Province was downloading onto the municipalities.
“I really have a problem with us mandating something that they are not willing to mandate,” said Kuilken.
Councillor Jeremy Wilhelm shared the stories of healthcare workers walking off the job for refusing a mandatory vaccination, and asked how many people may walk off the job at the County should they bring in the policy.
Administration responded that it is very difficult to determine an exact number, but they estimate less than five per cent of County employees.
Mayor John Burrows suggested removing the mandatory vaccinations from the equation, and making it an issue of safety.
“When somebody says, ‘That’s not safe,’ I always replace it with an acceptable level of risk,” phrased Burrows. “There is nothing that is 100 per cent safe.”
When they approached the issue from that view, it was determined that the County’s current policies to reduce COVID-19 exposure, such as wearing masks and physical distancing, have been working pretty well.
With this information, County Council moved to support administration in keeping the workplace safe, however they do not support a mandatory vaccine policy.
