Industry groups urge Ontario to prioritize vaccinating their workers as province hit by fresh pandemic wave

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Canadian industry groups and a labour union called on the Ontario government Wednesday to prioritize vaccinating their workers against COVID-19, as a fresh wave of the pandemic hit the country, especially forcing Ontario to enforce a four-week lockdown.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses, Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce has taken a dim view of Ontario’s latest shutdown starting Thursday after the province was walloped by a surge of COVID-19 cases that is threatening to overwhelm hospitals.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business, which represents 95,000 small businesses across the country, said its disappointed with the province’s latest order and urged the Ontario government to “ramp up vaccination schedules” and target communities and business sectors that are facing the largest outbreak.

“Many employers are willing and ready to help facilitate vaccines for their workers and to use rapid testing if it means they can avoid another lockdown,” Dan Kelly, president of CFIB said in a statement Wednesday. “Small businesses are already stretched to a breaking point — shutting them down yet again, while we have better, more precise tools at our disposal, is nothing short of cruel.”

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The Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters and the Ontario Chamber of Commerce have also both asked the provincial government to move essential workers closer to the front of the vaccine line. Currently, most provinces have been vaccinating people by age group, with limited numbers of essential workers also eligible.

“As a sector that employs over 750,000 essential workers in the manufacturing sector that continue to go to work every day — we must ensure that Ontario uses every resource available to them to increase vaccination rollout,” said Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters CEO Dennis Darby in a press release. The group represents 2,500 manufacturers across the country.

“While our sector has retooled entire operations to make essential PPE (personal protective equipment) and other goods necessary for their protection, access to vaccines is imperative for these workers to be adequately protected day in and day out.”

The CME has also offered to make its member companies’ industrial sites and resources available to the government to help facilitate a vaccine program for manufacturing workers, and asked the government to introduce a rapid-testing program for its members’ employees.

“As the Government of Ontario proceeds with Phase 2 of the rollout, we would like to see the earlier prioritization of essential workers who cannot work from home ad are most vulnerable and at risk,” said Ontario Chamber of Commerce CEO Rocco Rossi in a press release. The OCC represents 63,000 companies.

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In an apparent response to the calls, Premier Doug Ford said Wednesday the province plans to start vaccinating people aged 18 and older living in COVID-19 hot spots, including teachers and essential workers.Mobile teams will deliver vaccines in congregate settings, residential buildings, faith-based centres and large employers in areas hit hard by the virus.

Nationally, the United Food and Commercial Workers Association Canada, which represents 1.3 million workers, acknowledged the importance of vaccinating medically vulnerable people and healthcare staff, but echoed the call for essential workers to be given priority.

Many employers are willing and ready to help facilitate vaccines for their workers … if it means they can avoid another lockdown

“(Essential workers) are putting themselves in harm’s way every day that they show up to work, and they have faced a heightened risk of contracting the coronavirus since day one of the pandemic,” said association president Paul Meinema in a statement.

“UFCW members on the frontlines have more than proven the critical nature of their work, and have undoubtedly earned the right to be protected from COVID-19 while steadfastly providing crucial products and services to Canadians in every community across the country – day in, day out.”

Chris White, CEO of the Ottawa-based Canadian Meat Council, told The Financial Post that with surging infections in many parts of the country and cases often centering around workplaces from crucial industries, vaccinating essential workers is an important tool for protecting supply chains.

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“We’ve been advocating for that for some time… particularly to ensure we maintain the supply chain,” he said. “It’s something that we’ve been asking for and something that we are fully supportive of, particularly now that they’ve mostly addressed the needs of healthcare workers and seniors in residential care homes.”

However, Restaurants Canada vice-president for Quebec and federal affairs Olivier Bourbeau pushed back against that position in an interview with the Financial Post.

“Of course, we would like our workers to be vaccinated as soon as possible, but it is extremely important to respect the priority order, as well,” he said. “Health workers, elderly people, they need to be first, and there is no way that we would like to cut the line. It is important to respect the priority of all the groups.”

He added that many of his member restaurants have invested thousands or tens of thousands of dollars per restaurant in additional training and safety equipment to make staff safer, slightly reducing the urgency of vaccinations for workers. In an open letter to Premier Ford on Thursday, Restaurants Canada said it was calling on the province to pay the industry more than $100 million for enforcing “abrupt” shutdowns.

Workplaces have been a major source of COVID-19 infections in Canada. Canada Post, Amazon.com Inc. and meat-processor Cargill Inc. are among the large employers to see triple-digit case counts at their facilities.

— With additional reporting by The Canadian Press