Vaccine requirements for employees in the federally regulated transportation sector

Today, the federal announced that as of October 30, employers in the federally regulated air, rail, and marine transportation sectors will be required to establish vaccination policies for their organizations. Specifically, the vaccination requirement will apply to:

– Airlines and airports, and other organizations who have employees who enter restricted areas of airports, such as concession and hospitality workers
– Federally regulated railways, and their rail crew and track employees
– Marine operators with Canadian vessels that operate with 12 or more crew

Vaccine requirements for travellers in the federally regulated transporation sector

Effective October 30, air passengers departing from Canadian airports, travellers on VIA Rail and Rocky Mountaineer trains, and travellers on non-essential passenger vessels on voyages of 24 hours or more, such as cruise ships, will need to be vaccinated.

Effective October 30, travellers will need to be fully vaccinated in order to board. Specifically, the vaccination requirement will apply to all travellers 12 years of age and older who are:

– Air passengers flying on domestic, transborder or international flights departing from airports in Canada
– Rail passengers on VIA Rail and Rocky Mountaineer trains
– Marine passengers on non-essential passenger vessels, such as cruise ships, on voyages of 24 hours or more

For travellers who are in the process of being vaccinated, there will be a short transition period where they will be able to travel if they can show a valid COVID-19 molecular test within 72 hours of travel. By November 30, all travellers must be fully vaccinated, with very limited exceptions to address specific situations such as emergency travel, and those medically unable to be vaccinated.

In the air sector, individuals—either travellers or employees—could be fined up to $5,000 per violation under the Aeronautics Act, and operators could be fined up to $25,000 per violation.

Read the complete announcement from the federal government here.

Author: Sharleen Sissons