Air CanadaB次元官网网址檚 decision not to offer rapid testing as an alternative for employees who refuse to be vaccinated against COVID-19 sets a tough new precedent that other companies may emulate, experts say.

The countryB次元官网网址檚 largest airline will require all employees to disclose their vaccination status by Oct. 30. Employees who donB次元官网网址檛 have a valid reason for not having their shots, such as a medical exemption, will face consequences B次元官网网址渦p to and including unpaid leave or termination,B次元官网网址� the airline said.

Chantel Goldsmith, an employment lawyer and partner with Samfiru Tumarkin LLP in Toronto, said Air CanadaB次元官网网址檚 move is groundbreaking in that itB次元官网网址檚 a true vaccine mandate. She said companies that offer their unvaccinated employees wiggle room in the form of testing arenB次元官网网址檛 really making vaccination a condition of employment at all.

Air CanadaB次元官网网址檚 announcement Wednesday came a week after most of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 big banks announced their own employee vaccination policies. The airline and banking sectors are both federally regulated industries, and as such, have been ordered by Ottawa to require vaccination for their employees.

However, while many companies B次元官网网址� including BMO and TD Bank B次元官网网址� will allow unvaccinated workers to remain on the job as long as they submit to a regular COVID-19 rapid testing regime, Air Canada will not.

B次元官网网址淯sing the word mandating doesnB次元官网网址檛 actually mean mandating in that circumstance,B次元官网网址� Goldsmith said.

As long as the airline lives up to its commitment to accommodate employees who, for legitimate reasons, cannot be vaccinated, the airline is within its legal rights, she added.

B次元官网网址淚 think this is the first weB次元官网网址檝e seen by a big major employer thatB次元官网网址檚 taken that step, but I do foresee other employers following suit,B次元官网网址� Goldsmith said.

However, that doesnB次元官网网址檛 mean that companies with strict vaccination mandates wonB次元官网网址檛 face pushback. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), the union that represents thousands of Air Canada employees including groundcrews, said in a statement Thursday it B次元官网网址渃ategorically rejectsB次元官网网址� the use of termination and discipline as a way to increase vaccination rates.

B次元官网网址淭here are other ways to encourage participation in a vaccination program such as regular testing, PPE, remote work, and proven health and safety protocols,B次元官网网址� the IAMAW said. B次元官网网址淰accination should not be the sole method of curbing COVID-19.B次元官网网址�

Porter Airlines, WestJet Airlines and Transat have also said say they will comply with the federal governmentB次元官网网址檚 vaccine mandate for transportation industry employees. However, Porter has said unvaccinated employees can still work provided they get tested 72 hours prior to a shift, while WestJet and Transat have not yet announced the details of their vaccination policies.

The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), which represents pilots at WestJet and Transat, said in an internal memo to members obtained by The Canadian Press that it B次元官网网址渞ejects threats of termination if vaccine requirements are implemented.B次元官网网址�

Many Canadian workers who donB次元官网网址檛 work in federally regulated industries will soon need to tell their employer their vaccination status. The City of Toronto, the Toronto Transit Commission and several universities and health care facilities throughout Canada have all recently stated their intention to require proof of vaccination from employees.

Earlier this week, Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. B次元官网网址� one of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 largest oilsands companies B次元官网网址� said it will be asking for proof of vaccination from all workers at its Horizon and Albian camps in northern Alberta. The company will offer a rapid testing program for unvaccinated employees.

Perry Berkenpas, executive director of the industry group Oil Sands Community Alliance, said vaccination rates among oilsands workers are as high as 75 to 80 per cent thanks to mass vaccination clinics held at work sites earlier this year.

But he said many companies will continue using rapid testing as an added layer of safety.

B次元官网网址淚n this case CNRLB次元官网网址檚 made a choice in one direction B次元官网网址� I havenB次元官网网址檛 heard where others are going on that yet,B次元官网网址� Berkenpas said. B次元官网网址淏ut rapid testing will be used where they think itB次元官网网址檚 necessary.B次元官网网址�

Amanda Stephenson, The Canadian Press

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