To All of our Valued Employees,

We want to start by thanking you and your leadership for all that you’ve done to help keep COVID-19 out of our Homes and to protect each other, our residents and their families. Many of you and members of your teams have shared how important vaccine mandates are and advocated for a mandatory vaccination policy at your Homes.

That is why Southbridge has joined other Canadian leading seniors’ care providers to announce that we are making COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for our team members across Ontario.

As of October 12, 2021, team members who are not fully vaccinated will be placed on an unpaid leave of absence unless they have a documented medical reason that prevents them from receiving the vaccine.

While we remain incredibly proud of our team members who have stepped up to get the COVID19 vaccine, we all have a role to play in crushing COVID-19 permanently. This is more urgent as the fourth wave looms driven by the more transmissible and dangerous Delta variant. Quite simply, getting the vaccine is the single biggest step we can take to protect ourselves, those we love, our colleagues and the people we care for every day.

As people leaders, we encourage you to huddle with your teams to ensure they understand the new vaccine plans and to give them a chance to ask any questions. To assist you, attached to this email are Q&As for use with your teams, as well as a letter we ask you to share in hard copy with every team member. A template letter is included for residents and families, advising
them of this important step. Also included is a template leave of absence form.

Thank you for your continued leadership and unwavering commitment to those we care for.

Sincerely,
Ryan Bell, CEO
Southbridge Care Homes