What is changing?
In consideration of the recent changes in public health guidance, direct consultation with VCH, and the extremely high vaccination rate amongst staff, we will be moving to suspend the COVID-19 mandatory proof of vaccination policy for existing staff and volunteers. This change is effective March 28.
All newly hired staff and volunteers will still need to comply with the policy.
Why are we making this change?
Nearly 99% of our active workforce is fully vaccinated. This is the best thing you can do to protect yourself from severe illness. It is because of our collective efforts to take safety measures like getting vaccinated that we are able to make this change.
BC is one of the most vaccinated jurisdictions in the world – more than 90% of people have been vaccinated. Hospitalizations have dropped significantly and the prevalence of COVID-19 has also dropped across the region.
Despite this policy change, current scientific evidence indicates that two doses of the vaccine continues to be highly effective at preventing severe illness and we continue to encourage staff to get vaccinated and boosted as appropriate.
What happens if cases start to rise again or there is a new variant?
We continue to monitor the latest updates from public health. The City could reinstate this policy at a future time during the COVID-19 pandemic if needed.
When are people who were on unpaid leave returning?
Staff on unpaid leave will return to work as of March 28.
This is a time of change for all and people may be at different places personally. It’s important that we’re all respectful of each other – following our respectful workplace policy PDF file (110 KB) – those who are more comfortable continuing to wear a mask, those who are returning to the office after a long time away, and those who have been on unpaid leave, we need to continue to treat each other with respect and kindness.
Respect each other’s privacy. We all have personal choices we can make around safety; do not ask private questions or make assumptions.
Will people who are not fully vaccinated need to wear masks? What happens to those with accommodations?
No, staff with accommodations will follow the general direction for all staff regarding masks as a personal decision.
As the City follows public health guidance on the use of masks, we are aligned with their changes on March 11, to no longer require masks in our public and work spaces. At your preference, you are welcome to continue to wear a mask on the job for personal protection.
Note that some specific roles will require the continued use of masks as PPE. Those of you subject to those requirements must continue to wear masks at work or while performing specific work activities. As always, everyone is expected to follow safety protocols applicable to our roles at all times.
Staff who received a vaccination accommodation will no longer be required to complete regular COVID-19 tests as of March 28, 2022.
What about Vancouver Civic Theatres, VPL and VPD?
We are working to confirm the implications for Vancouver Civic Theatres as we may have contractual commitments to theatre rental clients to ensure our staff are vaccinated.
The Vancouver Public Library Board has a similar mandatory vaccination policy for library staff. They will make a decision for their policy.
The Vancouver Police Department is a separate employer with its own policy.
Will the City’s contractor vaccination policy also be suspended?
The City's Contractor Vaccination Policy has been temporarily suspended as of April 8.
This was done to continue to align with public health guidance, and the suspension of the City's staff and volunteer vaccination policy. During the period of suspension, contractors do not have to comply with the policy. If it is reactivated, they will have to comply.
Park Board will keep the Board-adopted Contractor Vaccination Policy in place as it applies to its community centre associations.
Does this impact our flexible work standards?
No. We have always intended for office-based staff to return to the workplace when risk lowered, and we are confident in the Public Health Officer’s direction that guides us to safely allow these staff to return to their worksites. Please remember that many staff members continued to work onsite throughout the pandemic. Vaccinations continue to provide excellent protection against serious effects from COVID-19 and, as you see fit, you can continue to wear a mask at work.
As always, follow good hand washing and hygiene activities. Most importantly, please monitor your health and do not come to work if you have any symptoms.
For staff who can do their work remotely, wouldn’t we be safer working from home instead of going into the office?
We believe a presence in the office helps to maintain healthy teams, healthy workplaces, emotional well-being, and operational efficiency and effectiveness. Our workplaces continue to be safe with limited risk of transmission.
We’ll continue to monitor the flexible work program and it may evolve over time as we gather data about outcomes.
For staff on unpaid leave, what happens to pensionable service during unpaid leave?
If you are using earned quotas, your pensionable service is uninterrupted and pension contributions will be deducted from your earnings. However, pensionable service does not accumulate during unpaid leave.
Can I repurchase pension time for the period of unpaid leave?
You can buy back pension for the time you were on leave once you return to work. If you apply to purchase, you must pay for both the employee and employer cost.
Purchases cannot be initiated until the leave of absence has concluded. Please do not contact HR to request a purchase before the leave of absence ends. It's important to note: if you are resigning or retiring prior to the leave of absence ending, the earliest you can apply to purchase is within 30 days after termination. If this applies to you, please contact pension@vancouver.ca as soon as possible.
