FTR Now
Ontario to Implement Mandatory Vaccination Policies for Hospitals, Schools, Post-Secondary Institutions, and More
Date: August 17, 2021
On August 17, 2021, the Ontario government announced that it is making COVID-19 vaccination policies mandatory for certain high-risk settings, which include hospitals, schools and post-secondary institutions, among others.
The government also announced:
- it is pausing the exit from Step 3 into the Roadmap Exit Step, in light of concerns regarding the transmission of COVID-19 and the Delta variant
- youth aged 12 by the end of 2021 are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine
- a third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine will be made available to persons who are members of specified vulnerable populations.
In this FTR Now, we focus on the part of the announcement that deals with mandatory vaccination policies in high-risk sector-specific areas.
Hospitals and Health Care Settings
The Chief Medical Officer of Health has issued a directive regarding the implementation of mandatory vaccination policies for employees, staff, contractors, students and volunteers in certain health care settings, as well as paramedics. The policies will require proof of full vaccination status or regular antigen testing, among other things. At the time of writing, the Directive is not yet available.
Schools and Child Care
The Ministry of Education will introduce a vaccination disclosure policy for all publicly funded school board employees, staff in private schools as well as for all staff in licensed child care settings for the 2021-22 school year. It will require rapid antigen testing requirements for staff who are not vaccinated.
Other High Risk Settings
The government will also require mandatory vaccination policies in the following high-risk settings:
- post-secondary institutions
- licensed retirement homes
- women’s shelters
- congregate group homes and day programs for adults with developmental disabilities, children’s treatment centres and other services for children with special needs, and licensed children’s residential settings.
Going Forward
The details of the vaccination policies for these settings have not yet been released, and we will provide further information about these new requirements once they are made available.
The article in this client update provides general information and should not be relied on as legal advice or opinion. This publication is copyrighted by Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP and may not be photocopied or reproduced in any form, in whole or in part, without the express permission of Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP. ©
