Newmarket council is set to impose a COVID-19 vaccination policy on its staff, coming forward Sept. 13.
Staff have prepared a vaccination policy at council’s behest, which will be reviewed at the committee of the whole meeting Monday. Council will also hear from a march against human trafficking and discuss a series of concerns about street parking.
Here is what NewmarketToday will be following:
Vaccination policy
After council decided to go ahead with requiring vaccinations of staff Aug. 30, staff are bringing forward a draft policy to put that into effect.
If approved, the policy will require employees to disclose a vaccination status to the town, securing their first dose by Oct. 1 and a second dose by Nov. 1. However, exemptions will be available for protected grounds under the Human Rights Code. Those that apply for an exemption may face additional requirements such as COVID-19 testing.
Unvaccinated employees will be asked to complete a mandatory COVID-19 education course. Philosophical differences relative to vaccination will not be grounds for an exemption.
Anyone who fails to provide evidence of vaccination or proof of an exemption before Nov. 1 will be treated as non-compliant. The policy states anyone who is non-compliant can face discipline, up to and including dismissal.
The town has 725 staff, including full-time, part-time, seasonal and contract. CAO Ian McDougall has said the town cannot provide information on how many staff members are currently vaccinated.
Town council has not yet decided about requiring vaccinations of the public using municipal facilities. It has asked staff to prepare a report on that, but that is not on the Sept. 13 agenda.
Walk4Freedom
Fight4Freedom is planning to march through Newmarket to raise awareness about human trafficking.
The anti-trafficking organization is hosting a Walk4Freedom in Newmarket Sept. 25 and will present to the council about it. The walk will start at Upper Canada Mall and pass by various locations the organization said are part of the human trafficking system in Canada.
Part of the route includes “massage parlours” that Fight4Freedom said it reaches out to in the area, and are places where trafficking occurs. The town opted to introduce a licensing system for such parlours earlier this year and ban any sexual services from them. But Asian advocacy groups fought against the law, and pushed back against the characterization of massage parlours as human trafficking sites.
Parking reviews
Town council will review parking restrictions on several streets Sept. 13.
These include Helmer Avenue, Hewitt Circle, Jordanray Boulevard and Rushbrook Drive.
Staff are not recommending parking restrictions on Helmer or Rushbrook, but are suggesting additional no parking signage on the latter. However, staff will make recommendations for new parking restrictions at Hewitt as well as Jordanray.
The meeting electronically at 1 p.m., with the municipality streaming it on its website at newmarket.ca/meetings. To join the discussion or get involved, click here to find out more.
