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Ontario not mandating COVID-19 vaccines for hospital workers, no change to area hospitals' policy

Windsor Regional Hospital is seen here on April 9, 2021. (Bob Bellacicco/CTV News Windsor) Windsor Regional Hospital is seen here on April 9, 2021. (Bob Bellacicco/CTV News Windsor)
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Windsor, Ont. -

Windsor-Essex hospitals say the Ontario government’s decision to not mandate COVID-19 vaccines for hospital workers will not change their own policies which have already been implemented.

In a statement Wednesday, Premier Doug Ford said vaccine mandates for hospital workers is a "complex issue" that could result in the "potential departure of tens of thousands of health-care workers."

Ford said the "small number" of COVID-19 outbreaks in Ontario hospitals is not worth enforcing a provincial vaccine policy.

His statement also pointed to news of surgery cancellations in British Columbia due to staff shortages after its vaccine mandate took effect.

Ford said the government will continue to monitor the situation, but for now, has decided to leave “leaving human resourcing decisions up to individual hospitals.”

With the premier directing hospitals to determine their own policies based on local situations, area hospitals including Windsor Regional Hospital, Erie Shores Healthcare and the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance are standing by their vaccination policies.

WRH president and CEO David Musyj said in a statement the hospital does not change its position on its own vaccination policy that has been adopted by many other hospitals across the province, country and North America.

“The Windsor Regional Hospital (WRH) Medical Advisory Committee and Board of Directors put forward and unanimously supported the WRH vaccine policy without a provincial mandate in place in the first place,” he said.

“We will continue to hold the safety of our community, patients and staff as paramount in all our decision making,” Musyj said.

Based on Windsor Regional Hospital's policy, 57 employees were terminated and six professional staff had their privileges revoked as of Oct. 7.

“Fortunately, like other hospitals in our region, ESHC has been proactive with our Staff Vaccination Policy which includes a mandate for all employees to receive two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, similar to the majority of hospitals across the province,” a statement from Erie Shores Healthcare president and CEO Kristin Kennedy said.

Ten ESHC employees were terminated for not following the hospital’s vaccination policy.

“All new employees will be required to be double vaccinated.  Our region has poor vaccination rates compared with the rest of Ontario, so it is imperative ESHC does everything it can to protect its patients and staff,” Kennedy said.

After CKHA's vaccination policy went into full effect on Oct. 31, 26 staff members were terminated and the privileges of one physician suspended.

Chatham-Kent Health Alliance president and CEO Lori Marshall also said there would be no changes to the hospital’s vaccination policy which had been unanimously supported by CKHA’s board of directors and medical advisory committee.

“With this policy now in place, our potential for outbreaks and service interruptions are reduced and our community can have confidence that we’ve created an even safer hospital environment for all,” Marshall said.

- With files from CTV Toronto's Sean Davidson.

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