Sudbury's hospital terminated 53 staffers for not getting COVID-19 vaccine
Health Sciences North said Wednesday that a total of 53 full- and part-time staff have been terminated for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
The staff members were fired Nov. 29-30. They include 14 full-time employees, 32 part-time employees and seven casual workers, representing 1.4 per cent of all HSN employees.
In a news release, HSN said it revised its vaccination policy Nov. 1 to make it mandatory for all current employees, professional staff, learners and volunteers be vaccinated.
"At that time, HSN had 266 or seven per cent of its employees who had yet to provide evidence of first dose of COVID-19 vaccination," the release said.
"On Nov. 15, HSN had 76 or two per cent of its employees who were not compliant with the mandatory vaccination policy and who were put on unpaid leave."
Those terminated include 17 nurses, nine paramedical workers, 15 service staff, nine clerical staff and three non-union workers.
"HSN respects the decision of these unvaccinated employees who, for reasons that are personal to them, chose to leave the organization," the release said.
"The number of terminations was within the range HSN expected based on the experience of other Ontario hospitals that implemented mandatory COVID-19 vaccination."
For context, the hospital said in the last 12 months, HSN hired 788 new employees and 1,300 of its employees are eligible to retire in the next five years.
"One hundred per cent of credentialed professional staff, learners and active on-site volunteers at HSN are now vaccinated," HSN said.
And 99.7 per cent of active employees are vaccinated, with one employee with an approved medical exemption and 12 other exemptions pending approval.
"The staff with approved or pending exemptions are required to submit rapid antigen test results twice per week," the release said.
Employees who have only their first dose are required to provide evidence of their second dose of COVID-19 vaccination by January. The hospital said that follows the most recent guidance from the Ministry of Health, which now recommends an eight-week interval between first and second doses of vaccine.
Correction
The nine paramedical workers affected by the termination were not city paramedics.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'