The president of the Windsor Police Association would like to see a "reasonable, fair and balanced" policy when it comes to mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for Windsor police officers.
Shawn McCurdy says this is going to be a challenging and difficult situation because there are various viewpoints on different sides of the table.
But McCurdy says public health is an important consideration for officers.
"Public health is extremely important to the members of our service," he continued. "We have sat and had discussions with members of our senior administration on a balanced and reasonable policy that keeps our members safe, and the public as well."
The Windsor Police Services Board of Directors has asked Chief Pam Mizuno to prepare a report on a mandatory vaccination policy. The board hopes to meet in early October to discuss the issue and potentially approve a policy.
McCurdy says the Windsor Police Association supports the vaccination process.
"I think it's important that we recommend that anyone who can get vaccinated, get vaccinated. This is a public health situation, at the same time we have to represent our members, and look out for their rights and interests as a collective membership," he said.
McCurdy adds they are currently working to determine exactly how many association members are vaccinated against COVID-19 and hopes to have a better idea on those numbers in the first week of October.
Windsor City Council previously voted to implement a mandatory vaccination policy for all municipal workers and asked subsidiary entities like ENWIN, the Tunnel Corp. and Windsor Police Service to do the same.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens said Thursday that officers with the Windsor Police Service should be vaccinated against the virus.
Dilkens told AM800's The Morning Drive that there shouldn't be a disparity in city policy, where one class of city worker is required to get vaccinated or go on unpaid leave, while they create exceptions for others.
The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) released guidance on Wednesday that it's a legitimate requirement for all organizations to have all employees vaccinated or go on unpaid leave during the pandemic, something Dickens believes will apply to police as well.