Maple Leaf Foods plans employee vaccine clinics

Maple Leaf Foods is planning its first on-site vaccine clinics in Ontario, thanks to a collaborative effort with the Peel Region Public Health Authority and the Province of Ontario. 

Through this initiative, and subject to vaccine availability, Maple Leaf Foods expects employees at its four plants located in the Peel Region (Brampton, Walker Road, Courtney Park and Canning) will have the opportunity to receive vaccinations on-site as early as this week. Participation in the vaccination clinics will be voluntary, but the company is encouraging everyone to participate if they haven’t already received a vaccine. As part of this initiative, Maple Leaf Foods will also be supporting community clinics in the Peel Region run by local Public Health Authorities.

Team members at the company’s Viau plant in Montreal may also access vaccines through a mobile clinic run by local public health officials.

This development is welcome news as the company continues its focus on protecting the health and safety of its people during the pandemic and producing nutritious food that people need. All company plants continue operating and frontline team members have risen tirelessly to the challenges the pandemic has posed while they eagerly await access to vaccines, the company said. The hope is that the clinics are the start of more widespread vaccination opportunities for team members and other essential workers in Canada because Maple Leaf Foods believes on-site vaccinations will be one of the most effective and efficient approaches to advance the Canadian vaccination program. With Maple Leaf Foods’ team of occupational nurses, the company stands ready to support public health departments in administering vaccines at all of its sites.

As it works toward on-site vaccination opportunities, Maple Leaf Foods is encouraging its team members to access vaccines available in the local community as soon as they become eligible to receive them. If vaccination appointments are only available during working hours, Maple Leaf Foods will provide team members with time off, with pay to get the vaccination. 

Maple Leaf Foods believes health and safety is its first priority. The company has built a comprehensive COVID-19 prevention and safety program that has transformed how sites operate through mandatory COVID-19 screenings, daily temperature monitoring, face coverings, careful social distancing, plexiglass separators on production lines where possible, marks on floors to control movement in certain directions and efforts to decrease density, like staggered shifts and additional break space. The company continually seeks opportunities to strengthen people safety programs and take action when new information and recommendations become available.     

As operations continue at Maple Leaf Foods sites, the company maintains ongoing consultation with Public Health authorities to affirm the effectiveness of its safety programs. According to Maple Leaf Foods, Public Health officials who have visited the facilities for inspections have praised our programs, with one Manitoba public health official remarking that the company had “gone above and beyond” public health expectations. Other Public Health departments have provided similar feedback.

“As the pandemic has passed the one-year mark, we know that Canadians and Americans naturally feel COVID-19 fatigue. It is hard – we know it is HARD. We are reminding everyone, including Team Members, to stay focused on COVID-19 prevention. With vigilance, we can all cross the finish line together. Our long-standing message to our Team Members is this: When you take care of yourself, you take care of all of us,” the company stated. 

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