Ottawa police to make COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for all staff
CTV
After a week of pressure from Mayor Jim Watson, councillors and the public to require all officers to be fully vaccinated, Chief Peter Sloly announced a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy for all members.
The new policy, announced Friday afternoon, will come into effect when Ontario begins to lift vaccination requirements to enter restaurants, gyms and other non-essential businesses.
After a week of pressure from Mayor Jim Watson, councillors and the public to require all officers to be fully vaccinated, Chief Peter Sloly announced the new policy would take effect Jan. 31, 2022.
"As Chief, my job is to ensure we have the resources needed to respond immediately and effectively to any emergency and keep the public safe. In a pandemic, that also means working closely with Ottawa Public Health towards the goal of 100 percent vaccination for all our members, as announced earlier this month," said Sloly in a statement.
"It is with those guiding principles in mind that I am announcing the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) will be instituting a mandatory vaccination policy for all members effective January 31, 2022."
