86% of Sask. gov't employees say they're fully vaccinated against COVID-19

The vast majority of Government of Saskatchewan employees say they're fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to the Public Service Commission.

Saskatchewan government workers who have declined to show proof they're vaccinated against COVID-19 or who are not fully vaccinated will start having to be regularly tested for the disease, and show proof of the results to their manager, this week. 

Most of the workers won't have to take that step. The commission said Monday that as of Oct. 17, 86.6 per cent of government employees had self-declared that they are fully vaccinated. There are roughly 11,500 people working in government ministries.

"The only vaccination tracking we are doing is fully vaccinated. We are not tracking partially vaccinated or any other status," said Maire Coulthard a spokesperson for the commission.

Workers who declined to get tested potentially face the prospect of getting fired, according to information shared on the Government of Saskatchewan's HR portal. 

On Sept. 16, the province announced that all employees of the government and its Crown corporations and agencies would have to show proof or else submit to testing every seven days.

That regular line of required testing was scheduled to begin this week. Employees were encouraged to initially self-declare their vaccination status or their intentions by Oct. 12. They will be responsible for seeking and paying for the tests themselves. 

Exactly how many government employees will need to be regularly tested is not clear. 

"Managers are currently working with their employees to provide proof of vaccination or determine weekly testing schedules," said Maire Coulthard, the executive director of communications for the Public Service Commission. "We do not yet have finalized numbers to report publicly on how many employees will be completing regular testing."

The Saskatchewan Health Authority has also required its workers to show proof of vaccination and stated Friday that out of over 40,000 employees, 98 per cent had declared they were fully vaccinated or planning to get fully vaccinated. When the SHA's program was announced on Oct. 1, one in five SHA health care workers were not fully vaccinated. 

"If an employee is not compliant, there are normal administrative and disciplinary processes all the way up to termination," said Derek Miller, the SHA's head of emergency operations. 

Progressive discipline could lead to firing

The Saskatchewan government's proof-of-vaccination program also applies to interns and volunteers.

Employees with a medical condition that prevents them from being vaccinated or who are declining to get vaccinated due to their religious beliefs are encouraged to speak to their managers.

"Employees who have not self-declared as fully vaccinated and choose not to complete testing results as required would be handled in accordance with the PS 803 Corrective Discipline policy," the HR portal states.

That policy outlines a series of progressive disciplinary steps: a verbal warning, a letter of discipline, suspension and, finally, dismissal. 

What Crown corporations are doing

CBC News also reached out to a number of Saskatchewan Crown corporations about their policies and received a response from Crown Investments Corporation (CIC), which speaks on behalf of several crown corporations, including SaskPower, SaskEnergy, SaskTel, SGI and the SaskGaming. 

Employees were asked to declare their vaccination status by Oct. 1, according to a CIC spokesperson via email.

Employees whose vaccination status went undeclared were required to provide weekly test results beginning Oct. 12.

"Employees who do not provide the required negative COVID-19 test results will most likely be placed on unpaid leave," according to the spokesperson. "Those employees will have the opportunity to provide the required test and return to work at that time....

"Continued non-compliance will lead to termination."