Winnipeg, MB – Today, the City of Winnipeg announced two new initiatives in our continued commitment to protecting the health and safety of our residents and employees, in addition to providing an update on the status of the City’s vaccine program.
City vaccine program update
As previously released, of the approximately 10,400 employees in the City’s workforce, approximately 5,500 positions were identified as meeting the vaccine program requirement. To date, approximately 94 percent of these employees have provided proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Beginning, Monday, November 15, less than 350 staff will be subject to regular COVID-19 testing prior to reporting to work. It is our hope that this number will continue to decline over the coming days, as more staff complete the mandatory vaccine education requirement.
At this time, we do not anticipate any negative impacts to City services or programs as a result of the full implementation of the vaccine program.
Changes to City Hall – Council Building
Beginning Monday, November 15, everyone entering the City Hall Council Building will be required to provide proof of vaccination and corresponding photo ID including elected officials, City employees, and all visitors. The Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) will still have the ability to make exemptions from this requirement to allow access to the building for essential operational, safety, or maintenance purposes with alternate protective measures in place.
For members of the public who want to appear as a delegation at meetings of Council and Committees of Council, Council recently extended the option for virtual delegations until the end of 2022, and will also accept in-person delegates who are fully vaccinated.
City-owned and operated arenas
In September, the City confirmed with permit holders at the 11 City-owned and operated arenas that they, as permits holders, are responsible for confirming proof of vaccination for all users as outlined by the Province of Manitoba’s public health orders, including players, coaches, managers, officials, and spectators.
Over the past number of weeks, the City has been made aware that several permit holders were not confirming proof of immunization as required, therefore the City will now be stepping in to backfill with additional support.
Effective, Friday, November 12, the City will support screening at all 11 arenas during peak hours, from approximately 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends, but specific hours will vary by facility. Outside of these hours, permit holders will continue to be responsible for compliance while they are using the City-operated facilities. These measures will remain in place until the end of the current ice season, unless there are significant changes in the provincial public health orders.
“To be clear, City-operated arenas have a very minimal staff complement which generally consists of one City employee who is responsible for carrying out arena functions such as ice resurfacing and general building maintenance. Having the minimum amount of City staff at these facilities helps us keep rental costs low for user groups,” said Michael Jack, the City’s CAO. “The City appreciates the efforts of user groups and community volunteers who have been doing their part to date to ensure the Provincial public health orders are being followed, and that our community is being safe.”
In addition to providing screening at the door, the City will be rolling out an Arena Ambassador program, similar to the Community Services Ambassador program which was deployed in the summer, which will focus on education and compliance with provincial public health orders, ensuring that arena permit holders understand their rental agreements, and are abiding by their responsibilities as outlined in the provincial public health orders.
For more information on the City’s ongoing response to COVID-19, see: winnipeg.ca/COVID-19.