The City of Prince George suspended its mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy for city workers Friday, two days before they would have been terminated..Unvaccinated city workers will return to work Monday for the first time in a year..The move follows negotiations with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 399 and 1048, who reached an agreement with the city prior to the January 15, 2023 deadline..In January last year city employees who weren’t twice vaccinated against COVID-19 or chose not to disclose their vaccination status were placed on unpaid leave, with the exception being an exemption under the BC Human Rights Code..After a 12-month period of unpaid leave employees would have been terminated if the mandatory vaccination policy was still in place, as per an agreement between the city and CUPE..The city’s mayor, Simon Yu, told the Prince George Citizen that there were 16 unvaccinated city employees on unpaid leave prior to the Friday announcement, all of whom may have been axed on Sunday had the program not been suspended..READ MORE: No timeline for BC's unvaccinated nurses, mandate will remain enforced
