Conditions for employment

I did some research this morning about a job that I saw posted online. It was for a Program Instructor for the summer. I was curious as to whether or not my grandson would be eligible.

Summer program jobs have been very, very good to me in my youth. In particular, it was life-guarding, teaching swim lessons, running sports programs at a resort, working on a farm, and probably other things that escape memory.

There was one job that lasted one day on construction that required me to get into a hole, chip out cracked foundations, and refill them with fresh concrete. It lasted one day because the cracking had come about by lots and lots of rain. The hole I got into was filled with mud and as I twisted to get out everything below my knee stayed in place and the rest of me moved. Hurt, pain, ouch and ligaments torn.

The other jobs worked out and paid well so it was nice to have alternatives.

Our local community is looking for a program instructor and so I did my research to see if it would be appropriate. I was pleasantly surprised to see this included as a condition for getting the job.

“Please note that Amherstburg requires that all newly hired employees be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment and provide proof of full vaccination, or provide proof of a bona fide Human Rights Code or medical exemption on a form issued from and approved by Amherstburg.”

I suspect that this is going to be a requirement for the next few years at least.

Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

I know that there’s a certain element in our society that refuses to get vaccinated. It just struck me that this job, geared to secondary or university students, sets another standard for summer jobs. They are hard to get in the best of times; this will make them even more difficult.

I know that the numbers are down everywhere but they’re not at zero and very unlikely to be for a long time, if ever.

There are times when I’m now out and about and many people are acting like we’re back to the old normal. There are even some stores that no longer provide hand sanitiser at the door and the old warning/caution signs removed.

Believe me, nobody wants all this to be over with more than me, but the daily reports of those in the hospital and sadly, those who have passed away, serve as a reminder that we’re not there yet.

I find it amazing that, as we head to the polls this week, the issue of COVID hasn’t become one of the big issues to help separate candidates.

Shouldn’t it be?