Canada: Overworked healthcare sector brace for staff shortages with upcoming vaccine mandates

Canada's health industry is now bracing for staff shortages and layoffs, as deadlines for vaccine mandates loom across the country. This comes in when the unions are pushing federal and provincial governments to soften hard-line stances.

In hospitals and nursing homes, a shortage of workers would strain the overburdened workforce which is now dealing with nearly two years of the pandemic.

Devon Greyson, assistant professor of public health at the University of British Columbia said that it is still not clear how the workers will respond.

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"A shortage of workers can mean people's health and well being. It's scary," Greyson said.

He added, "We're in an ethical situation where it's also scary not to ensure that all health workers are vaccinated. So it's a bit of a Catch-22."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled one of the strictest vaccine mandates in the world last week as he said that unvaccinated federal employees will be sent on unpaid leave.

Also, he made COVID-19 shots mandatory for air, train and ship passengers.

Layoffs have already started to hit. One hospital in southern Ontario last week dumped 57 employees, representing 2.5 per cent of staff after its vaccine mandate came into effect.

A long-term care home in Toronto put 36 per cent of its staff on unpaid leave after they refused to get vaccinated.

Quebec is offering C$15,000 bonuses to help attract and retain about 4,300 full-time nurses. With this, some 25,000 healthcare workers who are yet not fully vaccinated ahead of an October 15 deadline might have to face suspension without pay, said Christian Dubé, the province's health minister.

Alberta has one of the lowest vaccination rates in Canada, and its hospitals have been overwhelmed by the fourth wave.