August 20, 2021
Dear St.Amant Families,
We are pleased to report no new cases of COVID-19 within our community. We are also pleased to share that more and more people have been getting outside and back to the things they love. We also continue to offer virtual activities and as I’ve headed out to visit people in their homes, many have shared their painting or craft or stories of connection from those activities. There are some good learnings from the pandemic, things that we may see carry forward.
The Department of Families in partnership with the Family Advocacy Network have partnered on a survey to gauge the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on families’ access to services and related information. The information gathered will help to determine how to improve the way we collectively support families to access services, both during and after the pandemic. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey.
This week we have shared with staff that effective August 23, 2021, the COVID-19 vaccine will be added to the mandatory vaccination requirement for new employees to work at St.Amant.
St.Amant has made this decision in an effort to ensure that the people we support are as protected from the COVID-19 virus as possible. The COVID-19 vaccine is as effective as the other vaccines that are mandated by our organization and as many restaurants, largescale events and sports are requiring the COVID-19 vaccine for entry. We need our staff to be able to support people to participate in our community without any barriers. We know this vaccine offers the greatest protection to everyone we support and to our employees.
We are also in the process of exploring mandatory vaccination for all current staff at St.Amant. To date, we have gathered research, met with a labour lawyer and had preliminary conversations with our unions. Our next steps are to draft a policy for review by the lawyer and to continue conversations with the unions and staff.
Thank you for your ongoing feedback and support!
John Leggat
President & CEO
