Premier Doug Ford says that his government will not make vaccination mandatory for hospital workers amid concerns about staffing shortages in the sector.

Ford made the announcement in a statement issued on Wednesday afternoon, effectively going against the advice of a number of experts, including members of the province’s own science table who had touted the mandate as an “evidence-based policy that protects Ontarians.”

“This is a complex issue. But when the impact of the potential departure of tens of thousands of health-care workers is weighed against the small number of outbreaks that are currently active in Ontario’s hospitals, I am not prepared to jeopardize the delivery of care to millions of Ontarians,” Ford said in the statement. “Having looked at the evidence, our government has decided to maintain its flexible approach by leaving human resourcing decisions up to individual hospitals.”

The Ontario Hospital Association, along with all three opposition parties at Queen’s Park, have been calling on the Ford government to implement a mandatory vaccination policy for hospital workers since July…read more.