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The University of Ottawa has stepped up its COVID-19 vaccination policy ahead of the fall term, now requiring all students, staff and faculty members on campus to be fully vaccinated.

The post-secondary institution announced Tuesday that anyone planning to be on campus this fall must have at least an initial dose of the vaccine by Sept. 7 and a second dose by Oct. 15.

Individuals will be required to attest to their COVID-19 vaccination status via an online tool through the university by Sept. 1.

The university will make some exemptions to the rule based on the Ontario Human Rights Code or those medically unable to get the shots.STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENThttps://3ddf2ad71d63c4b413fb79981d68a6b8.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

Those who remain unvaccinated will be subject to health protocols such as frequent testing. A mask mandate and other public health measures such as physical distancing remain in place for all uOttawa community members.

There is a degree of flexibility in the vaccine policy, though exact details remain scarce: those who refuse to be vaccinated but are required to be on campus for studies such as lab work will be subject to “additional safety protocols,” the university said on its website.

The university said that low vaccination rates among the 18-to-39 age group and an impending fourth wave of the virus spurred its decision.

The new requirement is a step up from policies announced earlier this summer that only required those living in residence and playing interuniversity sports at uOttawa to be vaccinated. A similar policy was put in place at Carleton University last week.

The University of Ottawa joins Seneca College in Toronto in mandating vaccinations for everyone on campus. The University of Waterloo requires all unvaccinated community members to undergo regular rapid testing and produce negative results to be on campus.

Global News has reached out to uOttawa to seek further details about the new policy.

Via Global News

As announced by Deb Mcclatchey to all faculty and staff this morning, the Laurier community is growing! Earlier today it was announced that the Government of Ontario has given its approval for Wilfrid Laurier University to establish a new university campus with its educational partners in Milton. This announcement has been a long time coming and something the Laurier community has been talking about, and hoping for, for the last several years. 

Thanks to the Laurier partnership with the Town of Milton, this new campus will be adjacent to lands for Conestoga College’s Milton campus. The Milton campus gives Laurier a place within one of Canada’s fastest-growing communities, centered in the Waterloo-Toronto Innovation Corridor. The plan for this campus includes an expansion of Laurier’s STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) offerings under a planetary health umbrella, a field that examines the interdependence of human health and the health of the environment. The Milton campus will be research-intensive and extend Laurier’s research focus in sustainability, climate change and water with new opportunities focused on the STEAM fields, including engineering. 

The new campus will be situated on approximately 103 acres of land donated to the university by the Town of Milton that includes 33 acres of developable land and 70 acres of undeveloped greenbelt land. The campus will scale to approximately 2,500 students in the first decade, with Laurier’s first building anticipated to open in 2024. Laurier is looking forward to the opportunity to work together with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation to build a meaningful partnership incorporating Indigenous knowledges and practices on the Milton campus.  

You can check out the Government of Ontario news release and Laurier news release for more details about the program offerings and development plans.  

Laurier has scheduled a Milton Town Hall for faculty and staff on June 22 at 9 a.m. to share further details. You can click here to register and go here to advance questions. They’ve also created the Milton Strategic Initiative web page to keep everyone up to date on project news. 

There is a short video announcing Laurier’s new Milton campus that you can watch and share on social media if you are so inclined. 

OSSTF is hosting a Q&A Session for Members, parents, and community groups regarding the COVID-19 vaccines on Saturday, March 27th from 12:00pm – 2:00pm. See graphic below for more information and registration details.

The continuing chaos and confusion created by the Minister of Education, Stephen Lecce, and the Ford government has only served to increase the stress and anxiety that many members are feeling. This is most apparent to those members who are required to enter schools to support students during the remote learning period or in Northern Ontario school boards where many buildings are open fully to in-person learning.

We know that some educational assistants, office and clerical staff, psychological services workers, custodians, technicians, teachers, and other members of the education team are currently in schools that are considered “closed” by the government. At the same time, many education workers and teachers in some northern school boards have returned to in-person learning.

Concerns about a limited or full return to providing in-person learning, supports and services to students are not isolated to individual schools boards. These issues are province-wide. However, inconsistencies in government planning and school boards left to make decisions on their own without clear Ministry of Education direction has perpetuated confusion and anxiety among our members, students, their families and local communities.

OSSTF/FEESO and many other education stakeholders have called on the Minister of Education and the Ford government repeatedly to listen to the voices of frontline educators. They continue to ignore you. We have also called for a full pause to in-person learning until meaningful, clear benchmarks for worker and student safety are established and met.

Public Health authorities appear reluctant to intervene or challenge the government on its decisions. Government decisions on how to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, including decisions on what to do with schools, are made without transparency, and we are offered unclear rationale. We continue to call on the government to base its decision-making on evidence-informed health information when it comes to stopping the spread of COVID, especially in schools and communities.

We understand that members may feel defeated and downtrodden by the combination of government ignorance and the pandemic itself. But, there are things that we can all do individually and collectively to ensure our concerns are heard through the noise created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Monday, January 18, a letter was delivered to Minister of Education Stephen Lecce to request a meeting with our President as soon as possible to discuss the urgent circumstances we all find ourselves in. This action accompanies a number of other steps taken by the Provincial Executive and Provincial Office staff to highlight member concerns publicly and to reach out to other education stakeholders and allies to amplify our messages, build coalitions and explore options available to the federation to protect our members and the safety of the communities they work in.

Your local union leaders are working behind the scenes to cite broader safety concerns and are working with local Joint Health and Safety Committees to address them. They are filing grievances and complaints using the legal processes afforded to them. They are engaged in advocacy through your local media, with trustees and with managers. Although these processes take time and can be incredibly frustrating, your input, support, and solidarity are crucial if we hope to achieve success and improved safety now and in the future.

You, the members, need to express your individual concerns if you find yourself in an unsafe situation at work. Talk to your local leaders about using provisions in the Occupational Health and Safety Act appropriately to point out to managers, principals, supervisors, and Ministry of Labour inspectors any unsafe situation at work. Our advocacy is strengthened when members identify health and safety concerns through the legal processes that are afforded to workers.

We must remember that students have a right to an education. We agree completely and whole-heartedly. However, we also believe that students and staff must be safe when receiving that education, and that learning, supports and services to students are best when done in person. It is because of your work that the publicly-funded education system remains strong. It is because of your work that we continue to provide the best learning, supports and services possible to students under the circumstances. It is because of you that we will persevere together. Together, we have strength.

Yours in Federation


Harvey Bischof, President
Paul Caccamo, Vice-President 
Karen Littlewood, Vice-President
Earl Burt, Treasurer
Martha Hradowy, Executive Officer
Malini Leahy, Executive Officer
Dave Warda, Executive Officer

Posted January 21, 2021 to OSSTF website