In a close 4-3 vote, the District of Houston council wants health care authorities to bring back workers who were placed on leave when they refused to get vaccinated against Covid-19.
The decision follows a motion introduced by councillor Rebecca Hougen at council’s March 21 meeting that was supported by councillor Tom Euverman, who seconded the motion, and councillors Tom Stringfellow and Lisa Mueller.
Opposing the motion were councillors Troy Reitsma and Jonathan Van Barneveld and mayor Shane Brienen.
Hougen’s motion would have Conservative Party of B.C. Nechako Lakes MLA John Rustad take council’s wishes to Northern Health and also to insist that emergency health care services should not be affected by staff shortages.
The wording was framed around a recent closure of the emergency room at the Lakes District Hospital in Burns Lake, Hougen said.
“A woman in our community went to the hospital with her ill child and was greeted at the door by a sign that said ‘emergency room closed’. Go home,” she said.
Fortunately, Hougen added, the child was not adversely affected.
“But imagine if there had been a car accident that night,” Hougen said.
In seconding the motion, Euverman said the District should also contact health minister Adrian Dix and the B.C. Liberal opposition health critic.
Councillor Troy Reitsma added a dissenting voice, saying that demanding health care authorities to hire back people who are not vaccinated is equivalent to hiring a logger who doesn’t believe in cutting trees or a gasoline engine mechanic who opposes internal combustion engines.
He wasn’t sure why authorities would want to hire people who “don’t believe in science and medicine”.
Hougen questioned Reitsma’s position, saying that while she did not have the evidence at her fingertips, pharmaceutical companies have been back-pedalling, saying that vaccines are not as effective as first indicated.
“Vaccines are no longer credible,” she said.
Councillor Jonathan Van Barneveld said he would be in favour of Hougen’s motion if it first cut out the words “and that all restriction be lifted for staff that lost their employment due to vaccination mandates.”
There was no follow up from other councillors to that suggestion.
Euverman and Stringfellow did say that Houston’s welfare should remain topmost in the minds of council members.
Specifically, they said council should continue to lobby for an expansion of services at the Houston Health Centre.
The Houston motion comes just before April 3, the date the provincial government says its employees will no longer be required to provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19.
“While the public service is removing its policy, people are still required to be vaccinated if they work in settings with provincial health officer orders or other vaccination requirements,” a provincial press release indicated.
“Vaccine mandates remain in highest-risk settings where the most vulnerable live and are cared for. This includes facilities in the health-care system.”