More than 97 per cent of Town of Newmarket employees are double vaccinated against COVID-19

Those who are not vaccinated may be disciplined, up and including dismissal, says chief administrative officer

Yorkregion.com
Nov. 8, 2021
Lisa Queen

More than 97 per cent of Town of Newmarket workers have complied with the municipality’s requirement that they be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Nov. 1, said chief administrative officer Ian McDougall.

He said 97.4 per cent of town employees, including staff with Central York Fire Services, are fully vaccinated.

In addition, 0.3 per cent are partially vaccinated, 1.6 per cent are not vaccinated and 0.7 per cent have not disclosed their status.

“These numbers will continue to change. We are hopeful we can achieve 100 per cent compliance over the coming weeks. However, as outlined in the policy, noncompliance may result in discipline, up to and including dismissal. We are currently working with those employees on a one-to-one basis in a manner that supports our commitment to a safe workplace,” McDougall said.

“With many public-facing organizations facing the same challenges, we remain committed to (doing) what we need to in order to keep the public and our staff safe.”

Beginning when the policy was announced in August, the town’s human resources department went through an “extensive” education process with employees hesitant to be vaccinated, McDougall said.