Calgary police exploring idea of mandatory vaccines for officers

CALGARY – Calgary police could follow Toronto’s lead with that force requiring officers to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Chief Mark Neufeld says it’s something they’re looking at here.

“The top priority for the police services have been to keep our employees and the public safe. That continues to be the case, obviously. As you all know well it’s a very busy environment but in terms of decisions being made and developments around different approaches and different mitigation strategies as we head into the fourth wave here, we are fully engaged in that planning process right now as well,” said Neufeld.

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“We’re looking at all options. Certainly, that would include the use of mandatory vaccination policies, that would include the use of rapid testing technology, and any other sort of measures that we’ve been using up till now that are evidence-based and that would slow or stop the spread of COVID-19.”

He says CPS is in talks with the city, the Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA), and the province to try to develop some sort of uniformity across the first-responder sector.

The police union has come out in opposition of the idea in Toronto.

-with files from Saif Kaisar