THUNDER BAY — The head of the Thunder Bay Police Association hopes the police service's policy on COVID-19 vaccinations will respect the unique circumstances that some officers may have.
The Thunder Bay Police Service is developing a policy but a spokesperson said Tuesday there's no timetable for implementation as yet.
He also said the police administration intends to consult with the police association.
TBPA President Colin Woods said a majority of frontline officers as well as civilian staff are already vaccinated against COVID-19.
The exact percentage was not immediately available Tuesday but both Woods and the spokesperson for the police service said they believe it's "high."
Woods said the association is in alignment with the Police Association of Ontario, which released a statement recently saying "our sworn and civilian police personnel who are eligible and able to be vaccinated against COVID-19 should be vaccinated."
However, he added "If there are members that don't want to be vaccinated, we hope the service takes that into account and allows them to continue to work at the station with some protocols in place."
Woods said that could include regular testing for the virus.
"We understand there are members that have religious beliefs, medical reasons why they can't, and personal reasons why they don't want to get vaccinated, so we hope a policy is developed that protects and respects everyone's wishes."
Woods added that it would have been preferable for a province-wide policy to be developed.
He said that, as yet, there is no request for police staff to share their vaccination status, and he's not sure how that will will be addressed in the new policy.
The Thunder Bay Police Association represents 350 uniformed and civilian staff.
Last week the Toronto Police Service said it will require all its members to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 – a move opposed by the union representing officers.
The TPS said all staff would need to provide proof of their immunization status by Sept. 13, but there could be exemptions on medical or religious grounds.
The Toronto Police Association said it doesn't support either mandatory vaccination or mandatory disclosure.
It said the policy was announced with no documentation, procedures or orders in place to support it, and added that it would be working with affected parties to explore options.
