Mayor seeks answers on shots for essential city workers

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This article was published 12/03/2021 (1846 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WINNIPEG police officers, bus drivers and other essential city workers still don’t know when they’ll get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Mayor Brian Bowman said Thursday he’s still in the dark, despite pressing the province since early December, on where police officers, bus drivers and other essential civic workers fall on the priority list.

“Our members of the Winnipeg Police Service are nowhere to be seen in the plans,” said Bowman.

“Either they’ve not been in their vaccine rollout plans or (the province) isn’t sharing them, which I think is unacceptable. Members of the Winnipeg Police Service are answering difficult and dangerous calls and are at greater exposure than many Winnipeggers.”

A similar request about the city’s homeless population has gone unanswered, Bowman said.

“We’ve been pressing to get an indication from the province when they can expect to get their vaccines and that information has yet to be shared.”

Bowman stressed the city is not questioning the province’s current eligibility list and is asking Winnipeggers to get the vaccine when they become eligible.

“This is a way to not only protect your own health, but you can help protect the health of our community and our economy,” he said.

“I’m hoping we will get the biggest per capita buy-in of those choosing to get their vaccine in Canada. That would be something we could all celebrate because that will help us get back to the new norm much quicker.”

— Kevin Rollason