COVID-19 update for correctional employees: March 29, 2021

This content is a message to Correctional Service Canada (CSC) staff from CSC's Commissioner.

I am very pleased to share with you today that CSC has secured additional COVID-19 vaccines for phase two of our vaccine rollout, which are expected to arrive next month.

Under the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, CSC has a legal obligation to provide essential health care to federal inmates, including administering vaccines. We are committed to following recommendations from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) on vaccination. Vaccinating people in congregate living environments has been identified as a priority for phase two of Canada’s vaccine rollout.

• National Advisory Committee on Immunization

Therefore, beginning in mid-April, we expect to offer the COVID-19 vaccine to offenders in congregate living environments - all of our 43 institutions and 14 community correctional centres (CCC) across the country. To help support the provinces’ vaccination efforts, CSC will also offer the vaccine to employees who work in those settings who have not already had the opportunity to be vaccinated by their province. This collaboration helps to ensure that employees who work in these sites, and have not yet been identified as eligible by their province, are offered the vaccine in their workplace, which helps to protect our institutions and surrounding communities.

The best vaccine is the first one you are offered. Many of our institutional employees have already received their first dose of the vaccine by their province. If you have a chance to be vaccinated, please take it. You will need to receive your first and second doses of the vaccine from the same provider (e.g. if you get your first dose from CSC, you need to get your second dose from us as well). Please check with your local public health authority to see when you can be vaccinated.

• Local public health authorities

Community staff who do not work in a CCC, or who work at a regional headquarters or national headquarters will be vaccinated by their local health authorities, including those who, on occasion, need to attend to an institution.

CSC continues to work closely with the provinces to facilitate access to the COVID-19 vaccine for our staff in the community as well, in accordance with the priority groups identified by NACI.

Throughout the pandemic, the health and wellbeing of staff and offenders in our care have been top of mind. Your professionalism and dedication throughout the pandemic have not gone unnoticed, and we are grateful for your service.

Thank you for all your ongoing efforts. Even after you have received a vaccination, please continue to wear your mask, wash/sanitize your hands often and practise physical distancing to protect yourself and others. These layers of protection are critical to continue keeping our environments safe.