Total of 139 Greater Sudbury staff refuse vaccination, most on unpaid leave

A Greater Sudbury sign is pictured in this undated photo. (File)

Sudbury -

Greater Sudbury said Wednesday that 96 per cent of its staff are fully vaccinated or have received at least one dose.

That means 139 employees have refused the vaccine despite the mandatory vaccine policy, and the city said the majority of them are unpaid leave.

"Under the policy released in September, all employees are required to be fully vaccinated with an accepted vaccine by Nov. 15, unless they have a valid Human Rights Code-based exemption for medical or religious reasons," the city said in a news release.

"As of end of day Nov. 15, more than 2,700 employees have provided their vaccination status, with nearly 94 per cent fully vaccinated. Of the remaining city employees, just over two per cent have received a single dose, three per cent are not vaccinated and one per cent have not declared their status. There is currently one approved exemption."

About 60 per cent of employees who are not vaccinated or did not declare their status are part-time/casual workers. That means there will be minimal service interruptions to the public, the city said.

“As we continue to see a concerning rise in the number of COVID-19 cases locally, we remain committed to doing all we can to reduce transmission and ease the burden on our healthcare system,” Greater Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger said in the release.

“Being fully vaccinated continues to be the best protection against COVID-19 and the Delta variant, and I want to thank our employees for doing their part to protect the well-being of our community.”

“We adopted this policy so that people can enter city facilities knowing that we are taking the proper steps to keep them safe and healthy,” said CAO Ed Archer said in the release.

“We join many other public and private-sector organizations across the country in implementing this public health measure, and I am pleased to see the positive response from the vast majority of our employees.”

The policy applies to all city employees, students, members of council and volunteers at city facilities or workplaces. The policy will also apply to members of council-appointed committees when these meetings move from virtual to in-person.

Effective Nov. 15, the city has also expanded proof of vaccination requirements to include some additional municipal facilities. More details are available here.