On Friday, October 29th, Ottawa Police Chief Peter Sloly announced that the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) will be implementing a mandatory vaccination policy. Councillor Diane Deans, as the Chair of the Ottawa Police Services Board (OPSB), shares the opinion that all eligible OPS members should be fully vaccinated. This measure will ensure public confidence in the OPS. The mandatory vaccination deadline of January 31, 2022 will allow OPS to continue their vaccination efforts while mitigating any potential consequences of an understaffed service on emergency response time.
OPS will continue to regularly test unvaccinated members and will offer educational resources and on-site vaccination opportunities prior to the deadline. The cost of testing will not be borne by the public. The health and safety of the people of Ottawa remains the City’s top priority. We urge all eligible Ottawa citizens, including members of the OPS, to get their COVID-19 vaccines.
Together, we can continue to keep our City safe and I am pleased to have worked closely with Chief Sloly over these past few days to bring about this positive change to the policy.
Councillor Diane Deans, Chair of the Ottawa Police Services Board
The Ottawa Police Services Board is the civilian body responsible for governing the Ottawa Police Service. It is responsible for ensuring the provision of adequate and effective police services to the City of Ottawa’s residents.
Statement from Ottawa Police Services Chief Peter Sloly
The safety of the people of Ottawa is our number one priority. As Chief, my job is to ensure we have the resources needed to respond immediately and effectively to any emergency and keep the public safe. In a pandemic, that also means working closely with Ottawa Public Health towards the goal of 100 percent vaccination for all our members, as announced earlier this month.
Mandatory Vaccination
It is with those guiding principles in mind that I am announcing the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) will be instituting a mandatory vaccination policy for all members effective January 31, 2022.
Today, almost 84% percent of OPS members are fully vaccinated. All employees will have until January 31, 2022, to complete their two-dose vaccination (or receive a formal exemption in line with Ottawa Public Health guidelines).
The OPS has always been working to achieve 100 percent vaccination for all our members. That is what this policy is about – providing a safe, effective and responsive police service for the people of Ottawa.
Testing
Members who have not been vaccinated will be required to be tested every 72 hours. We have received a limited supply of tests at no cost to the taxpayer. After those tests run out, unvaccinated employees will be required to pay for their own tests.
We are currently finalizing these adjustments to our policy.
I would like to thank members of the OPS who have received their vaccination and urge our remaining eligible members to do the same. Together, we can continue to keep our members and the people of Ottawa safe.
