City of Windsor votes to revoke vaccine policy

The City of Windsor says “the time is right” to revoke its vaccination mandate for employees.

Ward 9 Coun. Kieran McKenzie brought forward a notice of motion Wednesday to revoke the existing policy which requires all staff to be vaccinated with two doses of a government-approved vaccine.

The motion asks the policy be revoked in light of the changing landscape around COVID-19. The council vote in favour of Wednesday's was unanimous.

We've come to a point now where the policy as it currently stands, is no longer meeting the objectives that it was intended to meet,” McKenzie said. “I brought forward the motion for us to revoke that policy in order to allow for the work of our workplace and our community, to frankly to move on.”

The vaccine mandate has also been removed for Enwin and Windsor police.

“When the City instituted the vaccine mandate it did it to protect staff and save lives during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Windsor chief administrative officer Onorio Colucci said in a news release. “We’re obviously in a much better position now with the risk of serious illness to staff significantly reduced so it’s time to move forward.”

As per the policy adopted on Sept. 16, 2021, employees who did not provide proof of vaccination or submit a medical or human rights accommodation were to be terminated.

In January, the city announced 104 staffers would be fired.

McKenzie said the city will be speaking with those employees who were terminated.

“That'll be a discussion that will include the individual employees, it'll include the labor leadership for the City of Windsor, and for the non-unionized employees,” he said. “A lot of individual discussions with those with those with those individuals to see whether or not a they're interested in returning to work and be under what circumstances that they would be.”  

City officials say rescinding the mandate means those seeking employment with the city will no longer need to provide proof of vaccination. 

— With files from CTV Windsor's Rich Garton