97 per cent of City of Markham staff in compliance with COVID-19 vaccination policy

'Small percentage' on unpaid leave of absence until Jan. 3

Yorkregion.com
Nov. 9, 2021
Heidi Reidner

Like many other municipalities, the City of Markham’s vaccination policy requires all staff to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 1.

Claudia Storto,, city solicitor and director of human resources at the City of Markham, confirmed 97.3 per cent of all employees have had two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. A further 2.2 per cent have had one dose as of Nov. 5.

“A very small percentage of staff have not complied with the policy and are currently on an unpaid leave of absence until Jan. 3, 2022, following which they will be met with to better understand their situation at that time and determine next steps,” said Storto.

Those who are not compliant with the policy may face disciplinary action up to, and including, termination from their employment. Staff may return prior to Jan. 3 if they provide proof of full vaccination.

As part of its implementation of the policy for all staff, the city has provided educational resources on the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, explained Storto.

“In addition, we have had multiple meetings with staff to clearly understand their concerns and support them,” she added.