THUNDER BAY – Students and staff at Confederation College will need to be vaccinated to access campus facilities this fall, the school has announced.
As of Sept. 7, only those with at least one dose of an approved COVID-19 vaccine will be allowed on the school’s campuses, the college said in a statement issued Monday evening.
As of Oct. 18, the requirement will increase to two doses.
The announcement marks a turnaround after the college said last month it "expected" students and staff to be vaccinated, but wouldn't make the policy mandatory.
President Kathleen Lynch said the move was intended to keep the campus community safe and hoped it would boost vaccine uptake in the region.
“The safety of our College community, particularly our students and employees are paramount,” she said. “The continued spread of the virus and its variants are of particular concern and the best way to provide a safe and healthy working and learning environment is to ensure that everyone is doing their part.”
Confederation College isn’t alone, she noted, with a growing number of Canadian post-secondary institutions passing similar policies in recent weeks. Those include leading institutions like the University of Toronto, Queen’s University, Western University, and the University of Ottawa, but policies around providing proof of vaccination and other details have varied widely.
Lakehead University has implemented a mandatory vaccination policy for students in residence.
Many of the details of the college policy, such as whether and what kind of proof of vaccination would be required, and what kinds of exemptions would be allowed, remained unclear in the college's initial announcement Monday.
Exemptions for medical and religious or creed reasons “will be considered,” according to its statement.
Those remaining unvaccinated will be subject to additional safety precautions, the institution added, with further details to be released before Sept. 7.
In general, Lynch expressed hope the college’s policy would boost vaccine uptake in Thunder Bay and across the region. The school also has campuses in Dryden, Longlac, Kenora, Marathon, Fort Frances, Red Lake, and Sioux Lookout.
Vaccine clinics will be held on each campus in September.
“By actively encouraging our college community to be protected and get vaccinated, we are doing our part to reduce the impact of the pandemic in the communities we serve and on our campuses,” she said.
The college consulted with local and provincial health authorities before making the decision, it said.
