LNG Canada announces mandatory vaccine policy
Dr. Bonnie Henry says other industrial employers should do the same
LNG Canada says it will require all of its employees to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 30.
The energy consortium says it made the decision on the advice of B.C.'s provincial health officer, and to meet travel requirements announced by the federal government Wednesday.
LNG Canada says while the order only applies to its employees, it is recommending contractors to adopt the same policy.
More than 4,000 people are employed in the LNG Canada worksite near Kitimat, B.C., but the company did not clarify how many are direct employees impacted by the policy and how many are contractors.
The company's main contractor, JGC Fluor, has not announced any changes to its vaccination policy.
On Tuesday, Dr. Bonnie Henry said she had written to all major industrial employers in the province recommending they implement a mandatory vaccine policy.
"Absolutely, yes," she said when asked by a reporter if B.C. Hydro should implement a mandatory vaccine policy at the Site C dam project, where a COVID-19 outbreak currently has 52 workers in isolation.
"[Work camps] are contributing to some of the surge that we're seeing in communities ... particularly in congregate living settings in industrial camps."
The Northern Health region of B.C. — which includes LNG Canada's facilities, the Site C dam, as well as the Coastal GasLink pipeline — is currently reporting new cases of COVID-19 at more than four times the provincial average, with hospitalizations more than double that of other regions.