Kitimat council has agreed to propose a motion to the North Central Local Government Association (NCLGA), demanding clear direction from the province regarding the continuation of the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers. Spearheaded by Councillor Mario Feldhoff, the action is in response to the ongoing healthcare worker shortage in Kitimat, which he believes may be aggravated by the vaccine requirements.
Last year the provincial government rescinded the vaccination mandate for public service employees and regulated health professionals working outside public health care — dentists, chiropractors and physiotherapists, for example — but B.C. remains among the few provinces still upholding the mandate for publicly-employed healthcare personnel. Feldhoff voiced a pressing need for transparency concerning the mandate’s future.
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“Is it never going to happen, or is there some magic conditions that need to be in place? It’s not unreasonable to ask the province for clarity on this mandate,” Feldhoff said.
A national healthcare staffing shortfall is acutely felt at the Kitimat General Hospital, where the emergency department frequently faces closures. Feldhoff noted that around 1,500 nurses in British Columbia are presently barred from employment in the healthcare sector due to their vaccination status.
“Our ER is closed almost every day. We should be doing everything [in our power],” Feldhoff said. “I don’t agree with those nurses who have chosen not to get it, but keeping the mandate in place is more harmful than potentially allowing unvaccinated healthcare workers back to work.”
Councillor Gerry Leibel, drawing from discussions at a Kitimat Health Advisory meeting, remarked that the local nursing staff does not include the 1,500 nurses deterred by the vaccine mandate. “While this does affect the province, I don’t think it will fundamentally change the fortunes of our hospital,” Leibel said.
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Feldhoff conceded that revoking the mandate might not immediately solve local staffing shortfalls, it could potentially attract new or retired nurses.
Acting Mayor Terry Marleau supported Feldhoff’s call for clarity, acknowledging the initial necessity of the mandate but questioning its current relevance given the high rates of vaccination and the decreasing severity of strains.
If approved at the NCLGA AGM in May, council’s resolution asking for clarity on the mandate’s timeline will be forwarded to the Union of BC Municipalities for consideration at their September convention, potentially paving the way for a reevaluation of the vaccine mandate at the provincial level. However conference delegates voted down a similar motion in 2023 to press the government to end COVID-19 vaccination mandates for healthcare workers.