An arbitrator has made another contribution to the “weight of authority” in Ontario labour arbitration awards pertaining to mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies in unionized workplaces.
On March 17, 2022, Canada announced that, effective April 1, 2022, fully vaccinated travellers will no longer be required to provide a pre-entry COVID-19 test result to enter Canada.
On March 9, 2022, Ontario released a Statement from Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health and a document called Living with and Managing COVID-19. Both address how Ontario intends to lift COVID-19-related public health and workplace safety measures.
In United Utility Workers’ Association of Canada v Dataco Utility Services Ltd., 2022 CanLII 13414, Arbitrator John Moreau, Q.C., dismissed 11 grievances filed on behalf of 11 service technicians who were suspended indefinitely due to COVID-19.
On February 25, 2022, Ontario filed Regulation 99/22 and Regulation 100/22, which provide that, effective March 1, 2022, all of Ontario will move to the Roadmap Exit Step, as amended.
In Power Workers’ Union v Elexicon Energy Inc., 2022 CanLII 7228 (ON LA), a union challenged the reasonableness of an electricity distribution company’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy.
Ontario has announced that with key public health and health system indicators improving and the peak of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 behind us, it will be easing public health measures sooner than anticipated.
With key public health indicators beginning to show signs of improvement and expected to continue, Ontario announced that commencing January 31, 2022, it would begin to take steps to cautiously and gradually ease public health measures.
