Dr. Eileen de Villa, right, Toronto's Medical Officer of Health walks towards Toronto Mayor John Tory after speaking at UNICEF Canada's launch of their #GiveAVax campaign, at a COVID-19 vaccine centre in Toronto on July 23.Chris Young/The Canadian Press
Toronto’s top doctor is encouraging employers in the city to institute policies that would require staff to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19.
Dr. Eileen de Villa says workplaces should come up with a vaccination policy that – at minimum – requires unvaccinated employees to get a medical exemption from a doctor or take a vaccine education course.
She says the policy should be complete with timelines and a plan to protect workers’ personal health information.
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The recommendation comes a day after the City of Toronto announced it would require vaccines for city staff and Toronto Transit Commission employees.
Toronto Public Health says the city’s vaccine mandate “goes above and beyond” de Villa’s recommendations, but that it serves as a model for other employers to adopt.
There have been a flood of new vaccine mandates over the past week after Ottawa announced it would require all federal public servants and workers in some federally regulated industries to get protected against COVID-19.
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