Agnico Eagle announces vaccination requirement at its worksites
Mandate to be in effect starting Oct. 15
All people working at or visiting Agnico Eagle sites, including the Meliadine mine outside Rankin Inlet, will be required to have at least one dose of a Canadian-government approved COVID-19 vaccine starting Oct. 15. (File photo courtesy of Agnico Eagle)
Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd. will require everybody at its worksites to be vaccinated starting next month.
The mining company made the announcement in a news release Thursday evening.
The vaccine mandate will apply to the Hope Bay and Meliadine mines, the Meadowbank site, CTMN in Val-d’Or, Que., Agnico Eagle offices in Mirabel, Que., and Cambridge Bay, and on Nolinor, Calm Air and Summit Air flights.
It will affect all employees, contractors, visitors and guests at these sites.
Agnico Eagle is requiring these people to have at least a first dose by Oct. 15 and a second dose by Nov. 15.
The company says this new measure is in response to the rise of highly contagious variants of COVID-19, including the Delta variant. These variants are contributing to a rise in cases across the country, which is widely considered to be signalling a fourth wave of the pandemic.
“The majority of COVID-19 infections and deaths in Canada are now occurring among unvaccinated or partially vaccinated individuals,” states the release, citing the Public Health Agency of Canada.
“In fact, the rate of new COVID-19 cases among unvaccinated individuals is 11 times higher than among fully vaccinated individuals.”
The release states the vaccination mandate is in addition to all preventative measures the company has in place, including mandatory testing.
Now, Why have they not done this long ago especially when their Nunavut employees were just sitting at home? When are fully vaccinated Rankin Inlet (
and now Arviat probably too)Agnico mine employees and contractors are going to be allowed to go back to Work At Meliadine and Medowbank?It did not make sense at all to send them home when the Gn/ Chief medical DR said a while back that we have to live with Covid now. Send the fully vaccinated Nunavut workers back to work!!!