The City of Toronto said Tuesday it is halting some recreational activities in some recreation facilities to free up staff for the flu because of a recent mass exodus of employees.
Mayor John Tory and Toronto Public Health said 128 employees on Monday resigned or requested early retirement from the city. A significant portion of those leaving cited a combined 25 million-to-35 million-dollar per year bill associated with the immunization of city staff.
“To free up more staff for the flu vaccine, we have paused this week or next several programs that have very low attendances,” Tory told a news conference Tuesday.
The news release issued by the city followed a statement by Tory that the city would “suspend” activities at certain places.
The city said when an employee leaves, city staff is notified by mail, email and that people are also contacted by automated phone calls. The city said its policy is to prioritize the flu vaccinations of employees who have reached retirement age.
Leaders of the union representing city workers and the public health staff declined to identify the city workers but identified five city agencies that have seen large resignations, including the Toronto Public Health Department, to which almost all the employees involved belong.
Public Health Toronto, the city’s health unit, is in charge of maintaining a vaccination rate of 95 percent in the city, and it has said its current vaccination rate was around 91 percent. The agency said Tuesday it was encouraged by the levels of uptake of vaccines for the current flu season.
City employees who had been vaccinated since 2007 could still be subject to a $1,000 penalty for not being vaccinated, said Public Health Toronto director Dr. Ashley Harkness.