City of Victoria puts 25 staff on unpaid leave due to vaccination status

More than two dozen City of Victoria staff members were put on unpaid leave after failing to meet the city's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all municipal workers.
The city announced its vaccination requirement on Nov. 2, saying all staff would need to have received at least two doses of COVID-19 vaccine by Jan. 5.
The city confirmed Wednesday that 25 municipal staff didn't meet the vaccination requirement and were sent home without pay on Jan. 6.
The number of staff on unpaid leave represents approximately two per cent of the city's workforce, which numbered 1,242 employees in 2020, according to the city's most recent annual report.
"Vaccines are the strongest prevention measure we have against COVID-19," said city manager Jocelyn Jenkyns when the vaccine mandate was announced.
"This vaccine requirement will continue to protect employees in all of our workplaces, as well as members of the public who we interact with," she said.
The vaccine requirement does not apply to elected city officials, however all members of Victoria council have confirmed they are fully vaccinated, according to city spokesperson Bill Eisenhauer.
The municipalities of Nanaimo, Saanich and Esquimalt also imposed vaccine requirements for all staff, as did the Capital Regional District.
The City of Nanaimo said all staff and contract employees who failed to provide proof of vaccination by Jan. 13 would have to submit to rapid testing for COVID-19.
Rapid test kits for municipal staff are being provided by the province, according to the city.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'My little love is now flying high': Families pay tribute to Texas school shooting victims
Families are sharing photos and stories of their loved ones, who lost their lives in a mass shooting in Texas that killed at least 19 children and two adults on Tuesday afternoon.

Onlookers urged police to charge into Texas school
Onlookers urged police officers to charge into the Texas elementary school where a gunman's rampage killed 19 children and two teachers, a witness said Wednesday, as investigators worked to track the massacre that lasted upwards of 40 minutes and ended when the 18-year-old shooter was killed by a Border Patrol team.
Live updates from the French Conservative leadership debate
The six candidates on the ballot to be the next leader of the Conservative Party of Canada are debating face-to-face in French, in Laval, Que.
Beto O'Rourke confronts Gov. Abbott on shooting: 'This is on you'
A news conference about the shooting at a Texas elementary school broke into shouting Wednesday as Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke blamed Republican Gov. Greg Abbott for inaction ahead of the latest in a long string of mass shootings in the state.
Trudeau cancelled B.C. appearance after RCMP warned protest could escalate: CP source
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cancelled plans to appear in person at a Liberal fundraiser in British Columbia Tuesday after RCMP warned an aggressive protest outside the event could escalate if he arrived, said a source close to the decision. The source spoke to The Canadian Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the situation publicly.
Canada's 2022 summer weather forecast predicts huge differences from coast-to-coast
Several parts of the country, including British Columbia and Canada's Maritime provinces, are likely to see wetter-than-normal conditions this summer, according to AccuWeather's annual summer forecast.
Monkeypox in Canada: PHAC now confirms 16 cases nationwide
The Public Health Agency of Canada says it has now confirmed a total of 16 cases of monkeypox in the country, all in Quebec.
'How to Murder Your Husband' author found guilty of murder
A jury in Portland has convicted a self-published romance novelist - who once wrote an essay titled 'How to Murder Your Husband' - of fatally shooting her husband four years ago.
Who controls the price of crude oil?
Do oil companies control the price of crude? CTVNews.ca asked experts to explain.