Some 2 out of 3 educators in survey support mandatory vaccines for school staff

This story is part of a CBC News series examining the stresses the pandemic has placed on educators and the school system. CBC News sent a questionnaire to thousands of education professionals to find out how they and their students are doing in this extraordinary school year. Nearly 9,500 educators responded. Read more stories in this series here.

A majority of local educators who participated in a CBC News questionnaire support mandatory vaccines for school staff, but some unions leaders and school board directors are pushing back on the idea.

The questionnaire, sent to thousands of educators across Ontario, showed concerns about safety in schools.

Regional data, which includes school staff from Hamilton, Halton, Niagara and Brantford, also showed support for mandatory vaccines.

Roughly 66 per cent of the 684 local educators polled were in favour of mandatory vaccines, while about 24 per cent were opposed and some 10 per cent weren't comfortable answering.

And about 83 per cent of those surveyed said they were concerned about catching COVID-19 while on the job.

Worries about working conditions aren't new, with many unions calling for smaller class sizes and more safety precautions during the past 14 months.

Recently, unions in Hamilton were also demanding educators get access to vaccines, and saying that schools should close amid numerous outbreaks and positive cases.

Some staff are still teaching in-person, primarily for students with special education needs.

But when asked about if they supported mandatory vaccinations, local school board directors and union leaders were divided.

HWDSB director open to staff vaccine policy

Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board director Manny Figueiredo said he would support making vaccines mandatory for education staff if the province provided guidance or direction.

"I could see us supporting that and implementing it, but I think there would have to be some level of exemptions for that to be considered, and a clear process for those exceptions," he said.

"I'm hoping we maybe don't have to get to mandatory ... and people will see the value in it."

At the very least, Figueiredo said he hopes all educators will have the option to get a second vaccine dose by the end of August.

He points to the province saying it intends to start opening appointments through its online portal and call centre for those aged 12 to 17 at the end of May.

"If we close, look at the ripple effect we have on society," he said. "Parents not might be able to work."

Mandatory vaccines could be possible: lawyer

Meanwhile, Halton District School Board director Stuart Miller said it's not a question for legal experts, not him.

"People have the right to choose, so I can't say we would condone anything that's against the law or against human rights," he said.

Ryan Watkins, a partner with the firm Whitten & Lublin, said mandatory vaccines are the "hottest topic in terms of employment law."

He said employers, like a school board, could make an argument for mandatory vaccines.

"An employer is required to keep their workplace safe," Watkins said. "And one way we can do it with a global pandemic is to ensure that our workforce is vaccinated."

But he also said there are exceptions for medical or religious accommodations.

Grand Erie District School Board did not say if it supported mandatory vaccination, and said vaccines aren't mandatory right now. The District School Board of Niagara declined requests for comment, and Halton Catholic District School Board didn't respond. 

Hamilton public health said if mandatory vaccination was a requirement, it would be imposed by the province or federal government.

Most union leaders against mandatory vaccination

Most local union leaders echoed Miller's concerns.

Jeff Sorensen, Hamilton-Wentworth Elementary Teachers' Local union president, said educators who can't get vaccinated shouldn't be denied their livelihood.

"We have managed through a pandemic to bring in accommodations to keep people safe, and I think if workplaces are kept clean and safe and ventilated, teachers who cannot be vaccinated can come to work safely," he said.

Cindy Gage, the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation bargaining unit president for Halton teachers, and Kathy Proctor, Halton's Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario president, both said vaccination is a personal choice.

But Daryl Jerome, Hamilton's Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation president, said he thinks the poll results are an indication of educators having faith in public health precautions.

"They want schools to be back to normal ... I thought [the number] might be a little higher than that," he said.

"This is the way to get back to normal."

About the questionnaire

The questionnaire was sent to 52,351 email addresses of school workers in eight different provinces, across nearly 200 school districts. Email addresses were scraped from school websites that publicly listed them. The questionnaire was sent using SurveyMonkey.

The provinces and school districts were chosen based on interest by regional CBC bureaus and availability of email addresses. As such, this questionnaire is not a representative survey of educators in Canada. None of the questions were mandatory, and not all respondents answered all of the questions.

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