85% of Lac des Iles (LDI) Mine team members have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, supported in large part by a vaccine roll-out plan delivered by our LDI Health Centre team and in close partnership with the Thunder Bay District Health Unit.
At Impala Canada, we applaud the actions of the vast majority of our LDI workforce, where 91% of our people have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Their choice to respect and care for each other has been recognized with $100 gift cards for each vaccination. We also launched a crew challenge, where work crews with 100% of team members fully vaccinated are entered into a draw to win up to $1,000 per crew member! Through this challenge, we further encouraged the prioritization of workplace health and safety and we committed to deliver up to $37,500 in prizes to fully vaccinated crews.
The LDI Mine is an essential business and congregate living setting, where the nature of our work sometimes requires working in close contact with one another. Given this reality and the escalating nature of the pandemic’s 4th wave in Ontario, we understand our workforce is at a higher risk of COVID-19 transmission, and we must take every step possible to ensure the collective wellness of the Impala Canada team. Vaccination has proven to be effective at reducing transmission and preventing severe illness from COVID-19.
Effective November 2, 2021, it will be required that any individual who enters the mine site be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Any individuals not fully vaccinated were required to have the first shot by September 21st, which allows for a second shot to be received by October 19th, reaching full vaccination status two weeks later. Individuals with medical or legally qualified exemptions will be accommodated on a case-by-case basis.
“The best action we can take today is to get fully vaccinated against COVID-19,” stated Bryan Wilson, General Manager, LDI Mine. “Each and every one of our team members knows how it feels to be personally impacted by the tragedy of this pandemic. Living with this reality for the past 18 months motivated us to become one of the first mines in Ontario to host an onsite COVID-19 vaccination clinic, and now we want to be one of the first mines in Ontario to have a fully vaccinated workforce. While we drive toward this outcome, we continue to stay smart about wearing medical-grade masks, keeping our distance, rapid testing and screening for any presence of the virus.”
The decision to require full vaccination at LDI Mine follows action taken in August 2021 to mandate vaccinations for employees of the Impala Canada corporate offices in Thunder Bay and Toronto and the LDI Management Team. As of September 12th, 100% of Impala Canada corporate employees and LDI managers were fully vaccinated against COVID-19.