Canadian Natural Resources to make vaccinations mandatory for all workers starting Dec. 1
CBC
One of Alberta's largest oil and gas companies is mandating vaccines at its worksites with a COVID-19 policy that encompasses employees, contract operators and people working under direct contract at its Calgary head offices or in the field.
The decision was guided by the public health emergency in Alberta and the rise in COVID-19 cases, Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. (CNRL) told CBC News in an emailed statement.
"In effort to enhance safety measures already in place, we continue to implement additional measures to build our collective response to COVID-19," said the statement.
The vaccination policy starts on Dec. 1, and provides exemptions for medical or religious reasons. CNRL did not state what would happen with employees without exemptions who do not get vaccinated.
Perry Berkenpas, executive director for the Oil Sands Community Alliance, said the need to keep employees safe is critical but he is worried about the impact on labour.
"There's a concern across industry, that [with] the delta variant and with the caseload in the province, that we are likely to see impacts on the business going forward," said Berkenpas.
"Can we get workers? Are there pieces of work that have to be stopped because of positive tests?"