City of Calgary COVID-19 employee safety measures update

The City of Calgary is updating our employee safety measures as a result of rising COVID-19 cases in Alberta. The health and safety of our employees and the public remains our top priority.

The City has decided to postpone the mandatory return to the corporate workspaces for City employees from the current planned date of Sept. 15 to Oct. 20, 2021. The City’s Return to the Corporate Workspace Plan was announced to employees in June and supports employees who have been working from home as they transition back to the in-person work environment following the disruption of the pandemic. This plan includes a voluntary and gradual return over the summer and early fall by increasing building occupancy to a maximum of 33% of capacity in our facilities. Starting Oct. 20, all employees are asked to return to in-person work for a minimum of three days per week unless a previously approved telework arrangement is in place.

“We will continue to monitor the infection rates, provincial protocols and Alberta Health Services guidance, and will update our plans accordingly as the situation evolves,” said Michael Thompson, acting City Manager.

The City is also working on plans for mandatory rapid testing for employees who are not fully vaccinated. Fully vaccinated means having two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and 14 days has passed since the last dose. The City will comply with its human rights obligations and accommodate employees who are legally entitled to accommodation.

“We strongly encourage all employees to get fully vaccinated as soon as possible to help protect themselves and their co-workers, families and communities,” said Thompson.

“We will be taking some time to work through the details of this new plan,” continued Thompson. “Our first priority is communicating with our employees, and we are working as quickly as we can to provide more information to them in the coming days.”

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