Growing pressure on N.S. government to make COVID-19 vaccines mandatory for health-care workers
With mandatory vaccines looking more and more likely for healthcare workers in Nova Scotia, union reps say government will have to provide alternatives for workers who can't -- or won't -- get the shot.
Still, some say the issue shouldn't be negotiable.
The latter group includes 76-year-old John Dennis.
He will be 77 next month and says he's the oldest living lung transplant patient in Nova Scotia, and one of the oldest in Canada.
Now living at Northwood, he's still coming to terms with the loss of his beloved wife, Penny in June of last year.
It was the height of the first wave, and lockdown orders in long-term care homes kept them apart.
"I never got to physically be with her again, until she was unconscious, two days before she died," Dennis told CTV News
"I don't want to see other people go through it. It's hard."
Word this week of a new case involving a staff-member at Northwood has a great many people on-edge, especially since it's unclear whether the worker was vaccinated.
Northwood says 88 per cent of staff members have had the shot, although it's technically not mandatory, and workers aren't required to report their vaccine status.
All of it is frustrating to the new health minister, who told CTV News Monday change is on the way.
"We are working with a team on a vaccination policy for health care staff in the province of Nova Scotia, and those details will be coming out soon," said Barbara Adams.
Advocates say a growing number of jurisdictions are moving in that direction.
"There are other provinces where they have, in fact, mandated healthcare workers be vaccinated," said Janice Keefe, Chair of the Mount St. Vincent Department of Family Studies & Gerontology.
"Of course, there's always extenuating circumstances, where some people are unable to be vaccinated because of their own health issues."
New Brunswick is among the provinces where vaccines are mandatory for health care workers.
Those who haven't had shots are required to mask and test frequently.
The new regulations take effect at midnight.
Nova Scotia union leaders have been encouraging members to get vaccines for months, but say there are a number of factors to consider.
"There absolutely has to be a balance, so when you look at occupational health and safety rules, in the act, it just states that an employer must keep, not only an employee safe, but keep clients safe as well," said NSGEU President Jason MacLean
"You see it in the private sector, where people are saying you must be vaccinated, but I still don't know how they're compelling the information because anybody can fill out any form and tell you that they have something they simply do not."
There is no grey area for John Dennis, who knows first hands the ravages of COVID-19 -- and says others, should, too.
"I know there are workers who aren't vaccinated. I don't understand how, after Northwood lost so many people to COVID, in 2020, how they can have workers who aren't vaccinated," he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.