Windsor City Council would like the federal government to consider mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for temporary foreign workers.
Ward 6 councillor Jo-Anne Gignac thinks vaccinations are very important given the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19.
"Migrant workers are coming into Canada to do these jobs, and I agree they're very important, but we need to take precautions," says Gignac.
Council endorsed a motion from Gignac during Monday's meeting to call on the federal government to review the legislation concerning mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for temporary foreign workers.
Gignac believes mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations are very important for temporary foreign workers coming to Windsor-Essex.
"We're looking at the reality of the middle of January when a number of these workers start coming into Canada to assume a very important role, but currently there is no mandatory requirements for vaccination," says Gignac. "In terms of the latest, we know that it's very, very transmissible and that it is rapidly expanding. So I think it's realistic to review the legislation and take into consideration some of the realities that we've been dealing with here in the region."
As part of the motion approved by council, the federal government is also being asked for more funding to operate the Isolation and Recovery Centre for temporary foreign workers.
In March 2020, the government announced $17.8-million in funding to operate the site for 12 months, but that funding is due to expire on March 31, 2022.
City officials have been in contact with the Public Health Agency of Canada about renewed funding for the site and expect to receive some kind of feedback on the request before the end of this year.
The IRC is currently at half capacity as of Dec. 20, 2021 as Windsor-Essex deals with a new surge in COVID-19 cases.
The IRC has provided isolation and recovery space to 437 people since March 31, 2020 and accommodated well over 1,000 people since it opened, according to Chief of Windsor Fire and Rescue, Stephen LaForet.
Roughly 8,000 temporary foreign workers come to Windsor-Essex every year to work at area farms.