Policy statement
The Town of Oakville (town) is dedicated to the health and safety of its employees as well as the broader Oakville community who provide and use our services. The prevalence of COVID-19 and its variants within Ontario have increased transmissibility and disease severity, posing severe risk. Full vaccination has shown to be effective in reducing COVID-19 virus transmission and protecting individuals from severe consequences of COVID-19 and its variants. As leaders in the road to recovery, the town regards this COVID-19 Vaccination Policy as an important measure that complements the other health and safety measures in place to reduce transmission and is supported by Halton Region Public Health.
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to demonstrate the commitment the town is making to prioritize health and safety by taking every reasonable precaution to safeguard against and strive to eliminate the hazard of COVID-19. This policy supports adopting enhanced safety measures, which includes establishing procedures requiring individuals to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Where this is not possible, the policy supports appropriate safe, alternative accommodations based on individual circumstances. Through this policy, the town demonstrates its commitment to:
- follow Halton Region Public Health recommendations, guidelines, and directives;
- support all to be protected against COVID-19, and inform of immunization options and the potential consequences for non-immunization;
- stress the importance of continued vigilance against COVID-19;
- ensure the protection of personal health information by safeguarding and limiting the collection/use/disclosure of such information to the extent necessary in accordance with any applicable privacy laws.
Scope
This policy applies to all town employees (including but not limited to full-time, part-time, students, and temporary), Members of Council, any individual representing or acting on behalf of the town in any manner (including but not limited to, consultants, and volunteers), contractors, tenants and licensees and every person accessing town property, services, events and programs.
The implementation of the policy is subject to the development of applicable procedures.
Note: This policy and applicable procedures developed under this policy are subject to change at any time, based on the evolving pandemic situation, industry best practices/guidelines and/or regulatory requirements. The Town reserves the right to exceed minimum regulatory requirements at its discretion.