City universities adopt tougher vaccination policies

Carleton University says all students and staff will have to be vaccinated to be on campus this fall or else submit to a rapid test for COVID-19 to be allowed temporary access.

“Attestation of vaccination status will be mandatory,” Suzanne Blanchard, the lead of Carleton's COVID-19 steering committee, said in an email Thursday afternoon.

“Individuals who cannot attest to being fully vaccinated will be required to undergo rapid testing in order to temporarily be allowed to access campus, and will be provided with information on vaccination and booking an appointment as rapidly as possible.

“These measures are in line with public health recommendations and consistent with policies being implemented by a growing number of Ontario universities including Toronto, Ottawa and Waterloo.”

On Monday, uOttawa president Jacques Frémont said COVID-19 vaccination will be mandatory for all students, faculty, staff and visitors who want to access the uOttawa campus as of Sept. 7.

“The risks posed by the pandemic are clear,” Frémont said, “and the path to staying safe, even clearer.”

Queen's University in Kingston also said Thursday it would require vaccines on campus.

Last week, Carleton said students staying in residence would require vaccines, but stopped short of a campus-wide requirement. Vaccination clinics will be held on campus from August through October to make it easy for Carleton students and staff to get their shots, Blanchard said in her email.

“These measures are critical as we work to create safe spaces for learning and working. Our plans will remain flexible as we assess the ever-changing risks presented by COVID-19 and as public health and government guidance changes over time.”

That leaves Algonquin College as the last of the city's three major post-secondary institutions without a vaccine requirement.

Speaking earlier Thursday, before the Carleton announcement, Algonquin president Claude Brulé said he was confident the school's existing measures were sufficient.

“We're talking about it, but at the moment we have great protocols in place and we've got a stellar record of not having any transmission on campus — no outbreaks,” Brulé said.

“With the current trajectory on vaccinations, and combined with what we're already doing, we feel that, at the moment, that is sufficient for the fall term.”

Algonquin screens everyone coming through the door and is considering requiring them to declare whether they have been vaccinated, Brulé said.

“We do self-screening at all entrances and there are a number of questions that people have to answer to gain entrance.

“There's a possibility that we may add a question related to vaccination and that's what's being discussed.

“The purpose for us is to continue to educate people on the benefits of vaccination and how it helps all of us create the community immunization we need in order to continue to loosen the restrictions we've been under.”

Most learning at Algonquin this fall will continue to be done remotely, lessening the risk of COVID-19 infections.

“We're not bringing large classes on campus.”

The school's policy may change if there is another serious resurgence in the pandemic, he said.