Faculty want U of Winnipeg to enforce mask, COVID-19 vaccine mandate

The University of Winnipeg Faculty Association has voted to call on administration to impose a requirement that everyone on campus have two COVID-19 shots before heading back to school and wear masks on campus.

The faculty association voted overwhelmingly on that stance on mandatory vaccines and continued indoor mask use during a special meeting on Monday, said president Peter Miller.

"What we are interested in doing is having a vaccine mandate that provides a safe and healthy campus and also provides us with the best guarantee for an uninterrupted academic year," he said in an interview.

Provincial regulations requiring mask use in indoor places were lifted in Manitoba as of last Saturday, though many places have decided to continue with their own masking rules.

The more contagious delta variant of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 is a concern for the U of W's faculty, Miller said.

"We're concerned that bringing back 6,000 students, faculty and staff to campus in four weeks, putting them in classrooms of up to 120 people and having them kind of mobile throughout offices, meeting professors, cafeterias, libraries, etc., is going to perhaps be a breeding ground for a COVID-19 outbreak."

Miller says those who can't or won't be vaccinated could still learn from home.

Most of the faculty association's members are on board with a proposed mandate, he said.

"We have members who have children under 12 who are concerned about COVID-19 transmission. We have members who are concerned about bringing this many people back to the downtown community, which we all know was labelled a hot spot."

Members also believe universities, as proponents of truth, research and knowledge, should advocate for the shots, Miller said.

"Vaccines are safe and effective, and so universities should be championing their use as much as possible."

On Tuesday, the University of Ottawa said it will require vaccines for anyone accessing its campus, including students, staff and faculty, along with anyone visiting campus.

Those groups will be required to have had at least one vaccine dose as of Sept. 7, with a second required for anyone on the campus by Oct. 15, the university said in a statement on Tuesday.

Miller hopes that decision "opens the floodgates" and prompts the University of Winnipeg to follow suit.

"I think it'd be great for the U of W to be right there at the forefront of safe and healthy campuses."

The university says the faculty association's views will be taken into consideration as classes resume.

"We have a robust safety plan in place that includes mandatory masking, enhanced ventilation and enhanced cleaning," Kevin Rosen, the university's executive director of marketing and communications, said in an email statement. 

"We are following the guidance of Manitoba Shared Health and we are in regular contact with the Manitoba government."

When contacted by CBC News in early July, several Manitoba universities and colleges said they would not make vaccinations compulsory when the fall term starts. 

All of the schools — University of Manitoba, University of Winnipeg, St. Boniface University, University College of the North, Brandon University, Assiniboine Community College and Red River College — said full vaccination would be highly encouraged but not mandatory.

The U of Winnipeg's fall term is set to begin on Sept. 7.