Faculty at U of C calling for mandatory COVID-19 vaccines on campus
Some professors at the University of Calgary want the post secondary to make COVID-19 vaccines a requirement as students return to campus in person in September.
Last week, economics professor Aidan Hollis posted an open letter on Twitter directed at the president of the University of Calgary saying mandatory vaccines would make campus safer for everyone.
The letter is receiving support from other members of faculty especially with the provinces recent' announcement that COVID-19 isolation requirements and routine testing are ending this month.
“I think we would all feel more secure if we knew that the students in our classrooms are vaccinated,” said Lisa Young, professor, school of public policy. “It’s really important to me that students in my classroom feel safe in all kinds of ways.”
Young said she plans to have a note outside her office informing students she is fully vaccinated and fully vaccinated students are welcome. If not, they have to wear masks, or have conversations over the phone or Zoom.
“A lot of what we’re going to have to do in the fall is to rely on everybody’s good will and willingness to keep one another safe and keep one another feeling safe.”
The University of Calgary said it supports vaccinations and will offer medical information on campus to address vaccine hesitancy, but it's not a requirement.
“In Alberta, it is not currently possible to require vaccines to attend university or insist on knowing vaccine status of individuals. However, we emphatically support the value of vaccines and the importance of vaccination,” said Ed McCauley, president and vice-chancellor, University of Calgary.
The school said it has a task force developing a preparedness plan for the fall term if a new wave were to materialize.
The province said it encourages all eligible Albertans to get their first and second doses.
“That being said, we respect the right of individuals to choose to get the vaccine and will not be requiring post-secondary institutions in Alberta to mandate vaccinations on campus,” said Taylor Hides, press secretary, office of the minister of advanced education.
Some faculty members say they are waiting for the U of C to release its safety plan.
“I think people are really looking to the universities to come up with a plan to protect everyone in the fall given that the province will be withdrawing most of their public health measures,” said Lorian Hardcastle, who's an associate professor at the faculty of law and Cumming School of Medicine.
Hardcastle said she supports having some public health measures and says vaccinations may be easiest path instead of trying to enforce masks or changing course schedules to allow for distancing.
But she said the legality around mandating vaccines is complicated.
“Under provincial human rights law, the university has the obligation to accommodate people who can’t get vaccinated due to medical reasons.”
Hardcastle said its unfortunate the province didn’t give post secondary institutions more time to work through issues and come up with their own safety plans with the start of school a month away.
Currently one post-secondary school in Canada, Seneca College in Toronto, requires vaccines for students.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6954495.1720351790!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpg)
Vehicle supply building. Prices are going down. Is it time to buy a new car?
For the first time in years, car shoppers are having an easier time finding a deal as the auto industry bounces back from supply chain woes — and experts say the outlook could get even better.
Iran detains outspoken lawyer who criticized 2022 crackdown following Mahsa Amini's death
An outspoken Iranian lawyer who has publicly criticized how the government handled the 2022 protests has been arrested, state media reported Sunday.
Jon Landau, Oscar-winning 'Titanic' and 'Avatar' producer, dies at 63
Jon Landau, an Oscar-winning producer who worked closely with director James Cameron on three of the biggest blockbusters of all time, 'Titanic' and two 'Avatar' films, has died. He was 63.
This Italian vacation hotspot is turning tourists away as it runs out of water
Set atop a hill on the Italian island of Sicily, Agrigento is a heritage tourist’s paradise. But the aqueduct, and others built in modern times, are running so dry that small hotels and guesthouses in the city and nearby coast are being forced to turn tourists away.
Japan’s tourism tax sparks industry speculation in Canada
Japan has introduced a tourism tax for Mount Fuji, which has prompted some in Canada to wonder if our own tourist destinations like Niagara Falls and the Bay of Fundy could be potential options for our own tourism tax.
Crew of NASA's earthbound simulated Mars habitat emerge after a year
The crew of a NASA mission to Mars emerged from their craft after a yearlong voyage that never left Earth.
Torrid heat bakes millions of people in large swaths of U.S., setting records and fanning wildfires
Roughly 130 million people were under threat over the weekend and into next week from a long-running heat wave that broke or tied records with dangerously high temperatures and is expected to shatter more from East Coast to West Coast, forecasters said.
Terrorism charges laid against B.C. woman who married ISIS fighter
A B.C. woman who was repatriated from a Syrian prison camp in 2022 has been arrested and charged with terrorism offences, police announced Saturday.
How to lower your student debt -- and cut through misconceptions around it
Paying back student loans has always been a challenge, but at a time when housing and meals eat up a bigger slice of income than ever, making smart choices around loans and repayment is all too critical.