Hay River South MLA Rocky Simpson called on the territorial government to show more flexibility and effort to help unvaccinated workers remain in the Northwest Territories during the first day of the new Legislative Assembly session, Nov. 22.

Simpson pressed Finance Minister Caroline Wawzonek and Diane Archie, minister responsible for the Northern Territories Power Corporation about the GNWT and NTPC employment vaccination policies.

Both the territorial government and the corporation have a deadline of Nov. 30 where all employees are required to be fully vaccinated as a condition for continued employment.

The GNWT has said some exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis until people are fully vaccinated.

Simpson pointed out in an exchange with Archie that because of the approaching deadline, the NWT is at risk of losing long-time residents who have built careers in the North, including Indigenous people.

SA国际影视传媒淚 donSA国际影视传媒檛 want to see people die. I donSA国际影视传媒檛 want to see people sick. I donSA国际影视传媒檛 want to see them in the hospital. But at the same time, I also donSA国际影视传媒檛 want to see people unemployed,SA国际影视传媒� he said.

SA国际影视传媒淚 canSA国际影视传媒檛 believe that we, as a government, cannot sit down and come up with some solutions to mitigate that.

SA国际影视传媒淲hen I talk to some of them (workers), theySA国际影视传媒檙e looking at moving out of the NWT. ThatSA国际影视传媒檚 pretty well what theySA国际影视传媒檝e got to do if theySA国际影视传媒檙e going to be looking for employment.SA国际影视传媒�

Archie said she remains committed to working with employees to try to find solutions, but added that the NTPC in particular has more stringent vaccination rules because most of its employees have to visit communities for capital maintenance purposes and as a result have a high risk of spreading the Covid-19 virus.

She added that many of those workers also have to fly and have to meet federal aviation Covid-19 requirements, too.

SA国际影视传媒淢any employees have to travel into communities (and) thatSA国际影视传媒檚 where the majority of the work is, in the communities,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檝e been challenged in the past by members in small communities that have really not welcomed some of the employees because they are either not vaccinated or coming from outside the Northwest Territories.SA国际影视传媒�

Wawzonek said there are SA国际影视传媒榦verlapping guidelinesSA国际影视传媒� for territorial civil servants to consider when they enter small communities and provide work.

SA国际影视传媒淕NWT employees are certainly going to have to follow not only our policy, but policies that might be applicable to them,SA国际影视传媒� she said, citing local government if work involves entering municipal or community buildings and federal rules in the case of air travel.

SA国际影视传媒淪o there may well be a number of overlapping guidelines that workers are going to have to follow owing to the fact that a variety of levels of government and private organizations are taking SA国际影视传媒� all the steps that we know are best placed to keep people safe.SA国际影视传媒�

She said the GNWT has established cost ranges for accommodations for employees not fully vaccinated, such as with providing personal protective equipment and regular testing. However specific costs arenSA国际影视传媒檛 to be known until the full number of workers are known.

SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檙e not expecting that (PPEs) to be significant, but certainly the cost of tests can grow to be more significant over time,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淲e do have some estimates with ranges of low to high and it depends obviously on what number of public servants we are dealing with. It depends on whether or not that changes over time.SA国际影视传媒�

Number of employees affected

Simpson asked Archie how many employees are expected to be affected after the Nov. 30 deadline and to what extent discussions were happening with either the union or the employer to find accommodations, but she was unable to say precisely.

SA国际影视传媒淲e wonSA国际影视传媒檛 know the number until then (after the Nov. 30 deadline), and yes, we will commit to working with the employees to try and look at some options,SA国际影视传媒� she said.

One person who is unvaccinated and who has built a decade-plus career in Hay River told SA国际影视传媒 on Nov. 22 that they have sought an exemption due to personal reasons.

The person, who asked to remain anonymous, said Simpson is right to raise questions about accommodations.

They said that they are uncertain what will happen if employers donSA国际影视传媒檛 provide added flexibility before the Nov. 30 deadline and worried about having to leave the NWT because their specialized career experience has taken many years to build.

SA国际影视传媒淲hen she (Archie) claims that weSA国际影视传媒檙e doing everything we can to accommodate people, not one person has had that conversation with me SA国际影视传媒� or said, SA国际影视传媒榣isten, this is coming from the federal level and thereSA国际影视传媒檚 nothing we can do. We donSA国际影视传媒檛 want to lose you.SA国际影视传媒� Nothing like that. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 just been business as usual.

SA国际影视传媒淚f you wanted to keep a staff member, you would keep a staff member. If the person had real concerns about getting the jab, a good employer would say, okay, weSA国际影视传媒檙e going to work around this.SA国际影视传媒�

The person added that it appears to be a very rare occurrence that an employer will grant accommodation whether it be for medical, religious or other personal or professional reasons.

SA国际影视传媒淭his is extreme coercion to get vaccinated and they say itSA国际影视传媒檚 for health and safety purposes,SA国际影视传媒� the individual stated, warning that employees are at risk of leaving the territory and negatively impacting their communities.

SA国际影视传媒淲hat about our mental health? The safety of our families as we enter winter with no income? This is not how Northerners treat each other.

SA国际影视传媒淲eSA国际影视传媒檙e going to lose long-term Northerners SA国际影视传媒� professionals, tradespeople, service providers, coaches, volunteers, pillars of the community. And for what? Because our employers, leaders, and politicians would not stand up for the North.SA国际影视传媒�