Beaverlodge flip-flops on mandatory vaccinations
Town of Beaverlodge council did a 24-hour turnaround last week when it came to mandating vaccines for staff.
In a closed session portion of the Sept. 13 regular council meeting, council decided to require mandatory vaccinations for all town staff and council members, only to repeal the decision one day later.
The decision was repealed in a special meeting called on the next day.
“There's a lot of emotion to this, and, you know, we're getting hit head-on with COVID again, so it's not going to go away, and it's not going to get pretty soon,” said Gary Rycroft, Beaverlodge mayor.
Initially, on the Monday night vote, the decision was four to three in favour of mandatory vaccinations for council members and town staff, with the motion being brought forth by Coun. Terry Dueck.
The special meeting Tuesday repealed the previous night's motion, in a vote of six to one.
Dueck voted solely against the repeal.
Rycroft told the News that it was an emotional vote Monday night and afterward, it didn't sit right with many councillors, causing some to lose sleep that night.
“We're very proud of the staff of the Town of Beaverlodge and then to force them to do something and basically imply that they're not smart enough to make the decision (when) most of them have already done it felt very inappropriate,” said Rycroft.
“There's a lot of really bad information out there that the anti-vaxxers are pushing,” he said.
“There's a lot of emotion.
“There's people that feel their religious rights are violated by vaccinations, so this is really a tough subject, but until we get a higher number of vaccinations done, we're going to be saddled with this plague for a long time.”
Some towns in Alberta, such as Banff, have voted to mandate vaccines to their staff or face termination.
Businesses such as Alberta Health Services (AHS) have also mandated vaccines to their employees, while others continue to follow provincial guidelines as they are put forth.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Unacceptable': Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress taken from plane cabin
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief said her headdress was taken from an airplane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake' on the part of Air Canada.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
'Violation': CSIS had officer investigated after she reported a superior raped her
A CSIS officer's allegations that she was raped repeatedly by a superior in agency vehicles set off a harassment inquiry, but also triggered an investigation into her that concluded the alleged attacks were a “misuse” of agency vehicles by the woman.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.