Businesses look forward to employee vaccination legislation and supports for vaccine certification

The following statement is attributable to Deborah Yedlin, President and CEO of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce:

Calgary, October 7, 2021 – “Throughout the pandemic, businesses have faced significant uncertainty. What they need now is clarity on critical issues like vaccination policies for employees, and direct support to implement vaccination certification and keep front-line workers safe. Today’s announcement by the Government of Alberta brings clarity on the path forward, and we’re encouraged by the additional actions the province will take in the coming days.

“The commitment by the Government to enact legislation that will protect businesses mandating vaccinations for their employees is critical to providing a greater degree of certainty for business, while keeping employees, clients and customers safe. Businesses have been seeking clarity on this issue for several months and it’s critical the government swiftly tables this vaccination legislation when the Legislature returns on October 25, 2021 to protect businesses from legal challenges.

“With the safety of front-line workers being top priority, we are pleased to see the province doubling fines for the mistreatment of public-facing workers to $4,000 and investing in training to help employees navigate challenging situations.

“We look forward to receiving more information on how businesses can utilize the REP Training Grant and REP Implementation Grant. With businesses eager to implement a QR code system for vaccine verification, additional supports to make it faster and less costly to implement this scanning technology will be critical to minimize the burdens currently placed on businesses.

“Calgary’s business community continues to bear a significant burden in adhering to restrictions and implementing the latest public health measures. Despite this, businesses remain committed to keeping Albertans safe and doing what is necessary – in collaboration with our provincial government– to keep our economy open and our entire community on the road to recovery.”

About the Calgary Chamber

The Calgary Chamber is an independent non-profit, non-partisan business organization. For 130 years, the Chamber has worked to build a business community that nourishes, powers, and inspires the world.

For media inquiries, please contact Arianne Brady, Communications Manager, at media@calgarychamber.com or at 403-750-0414.