Survey finds 62% of Canadian small- and mid-sized businesses planning vaccine mandates for workers
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If you work for a Canadian small- or mid-sized business, chances are high you may be required to get a COVID-19 vaccine to keep your job.
A survey of business owners conducted by audit, tax and advisory firm KPMG shows a significant 62 per cent are making or planning vaccine mandates for their workers. In some cases, they also want customers to show proof of vaccination.
Underlying those plans is a strong belief that mandatory vaccinations and vaccine passports could help avoid another lockdown. In fact, 84 per cent said vaccines should be mandatory to prevent future shutdowns. Eighty-four per cent also think vaccine passports should be required to perform some jobs or enter certain establishments.
The survey comes a week after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said federal workers would be required to be vaccinated. The mandate also extends to people who travel domestically on trains and planes, and those who work for federally regulated companies like banks and transportation.
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The Royal Bank of Canada has since told staff that employees in the U.S. and Canada must be full vaccinated by Oct. 31 to come back to the office.
And on Thursday, the City of Toronto also said it would require its workers to be vaccinated, including those who work for its public transit system. Ontario has followed suit, mandating civil servants be vaccinated or face frequent testing.
But, while vaccine mandates are seemingly in vogue, implementing such policies in workplaces isn’t necessarily straightforward. Businesses must walk a fine legal line when considering mandates, because they need to balance their legal duties to protect employees’ health and safety with human rights and privacy laws, KPMG says.
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“Businesses are grappling with how to navigate the issue of mandatory vaccination and determine whether or not they are legally permitted to require their employees and, in some cases, their customers, to provide proof of vaccination,” Norm Keith, partner, employment and labour law at KPMG Law, said in a news release.
Keith said that while some employers are forging ahead with mandatory vaccines, others fear the process could be too difficult to implement. And many businesses are seeking legal advice before they make a decision.
Indeed, businesses will need to take into consideration whether requiring vaccines is absolutely necessary to ensure worker safety, KPMG says. The firm cites high-risk workplaces as including child- and health-care settings, emergency services and other places where employees are in close contact or working with vulnerable populations.
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In the end, failure to balance safety responsibilities with employee rights could open a company up to constructive dismissal claims.
To minimize legal trouble, KMPG says businesses should consider the following points:
- They are legally required to keep employees safe.
- Exemptions based on disability or religious beliefs, protected under human rights law, must be accommodated.
- They should determine if safety measures such as testing, practicing social distance or reducing time spent in close quarters could be implemented instead of mandatory vaccines.
- They must recognize the legal right of employees to work in a way that won’t cause harm to others.
- Employee vaccination information must be kept confidential.
- Lastly, businesses should practice flexibility, listen to their employees’ concerns and work with health and safety committees to come up with appropriate policies.
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“We recommend that employers receive legal advice when putting in place any COVID-19 safety measures to reduce a wide range of risks,” Keith said. “This includes implementation of a vaccination policy that clearly communicates employer commitments and expectations for employee safety.”
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CANADA’S MYSTERIOUS, RECLUSIVE BILLIONAIRE David Kenneth Roy Thomson didn’t have much choice in his elevation to public head of his family’s vast business kingdom. He was anointed the third-generation standard-bearer by his grandfather Roy, who had launched the Thomson empire and multi-billion-dollar fortune in the 1930s with radio stations and newspapers in northern Ontario. Now worth $41.8 billion, Canada’s richest family is notoriously private, and that extends to David Thomson, who sits atop the empire. Thomson is probably most known for his world-class art collection — and the gossipy details of his divorces. Quentin Casey pulls the curtain back on the reclusive billionaire. Photo by Peter Redman/National Post files
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- Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet, along with several Bloc candidates, holds a press conference on the end of the oil era.
- Justin Trudeau to make an announcement to support a safe return to work and school.
- The Green Party of Canada will hold its annual general meeting online.
- Today’s data: Canadian retail sales
- Earnings: Deere & Co.
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Home prices are continuing their upward climb in Canada. New data released Thursday showed prices rising again in July, led by gains in Ottawa.
The Teranet–National Bank National Composite House Price Index, which tracks repeat sales, rose 2 per cent in July. But while prices keep rising, they are doing so at a slower pace. The index shows prices rose 2.8 per cent in May and 2.7 per cent in June.
Leading the July gains were Ottawa-Gatineau at 3.7 per cent, Halifax (3 per cent), Montreal (2.5 per cent), Hamilton (2.1 per cent) and Vancouver (2.1 per cent). Toronto showed more moderate growth, with a 1.6 per cent gain.
It was the fifth month in a row that all 11 cities the index tracks saw gains in home prices.
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Year-over-year, prices in July were up 17.8 per cent compared to July 2020 — the strongest 12-month gain on record.
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Warren Buffett is a remarkable investor known for transforming Berkshire Hathaway from a failing textile company into a multinational conglomerate with stakes in Geico, Apple and Coca-Cola.
But it’s his penchant for packaging investing advice in witty, memorable phrases that’s cemented his status as “the Oracle of Omaha.”
Buffett has dropped countless gems over the years, and our content partner Moneywise has compiled seven quotes that contain timely advice on how to invest in stocks today.
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Today’s Posthaste was written by Victoria Wells (@vwells80), with additional reporting from The Canadian Press, Thomson Reuters and Bloomberg.
Have a story idea, pitch, embargoed report, or a suggestion for this newsletter? Email us at posthaste@postmedia.com, or hit reply to send us a note.
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Posthaste: Mandatory vaccines are coming to a workplace near you - Financial Post
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