The health and safety of our community has been our top priority throughout the pandemic. Earlier this week we provided an update on the health and safety measures planned for the Fall 2021 term, including that physical distancing requirements and indoor mask wearing will continue to be in place across our campuses and facilities.

Following yesterday’s provincial announcement, Humber will be adding to these measures by introducing a COVID-19 vaccination policy for students, employees, contractors and any visitors to the college’s campuses or facilities.

This new policy will be in effect for the Fall term and supports previously announced requirements for varsity athletes, students living in residence and those involved with programs with specific work-integrated learning experiences that already require staff/students to be fully vaccinated.

Under the new policy, by October 18, individuals coming to campus or a Humber facility in person must provide proof that they are fully vaccinated, or that they have received an exemption from the college based on human rights (including medical) or conscientious grounds.

As a first step in implementing this policy, students and employees will need to declare their vaccination status by September 7 as a part of a Fall 2021 Return to Campus acknowledgement. 

The Return to Campus acknowledgment will be sent by email to employees and students by the end of August. Those who are not partially or fully vaccinated will be required to begin an application for exemption by September 7. Information for the exemption process will be provided as part of the Return to Campus acknowledgment.

Humber will work with exempted individuals on a case-by-case basis to find a reasonable and appropriate approach to accommodation. This may include alternative health and safety requirements, like regular rapid testing, or a transition to remote learning or work, where possible.

Proof of full vaccination must be provided by October 18. We will share details early in the Fall term about the process for providing that proof. The process will be designed to ensure that any personal health information submitted to the college will be secure and confidential.

The final policy will be informed by relevant provincial and public health directives for colleges and universities. Full details of the new policy will be shared with the Humber community once it is complete.

An FAQ has been created to help provide further information and will be updated on an ongoing basis as more information is available. Students who may have further questions should contact covidreporting@humber.ca, and employees should speak with their manager.

I know this continues to be a challenging time and want to remind you that supports and assistance for students and employees are available. Information on vaccines and vaccine clinic locations is available on Humber’s Return to Campus website.

From the beginning of the pandemic, health and safety at Humber has been a shared responsibility. Thank you for your ongoing cooperation as we continue to work to ensure a safe return to campus.

Chris Whitaker
President and CEO  

Our team at the Centre for Entrepreneurship has updated our memberships and we invite you to join us! If you wish to continue being a member, please fill out the form here to complete the sign-up process by Tuesday, August 31, 2021. By filling out the form, you will update your membership to one of four options.

Click here for more information

For a more detailed description of the following memberships and their requirements click here to be directed to our website.

If you have any questions about the sign-up process or any feedback regarding your experience with the Centre for Entrepreneurship, feel free to contact us at cfe@humber.ca.

Thank you once again for your commitment to the Centre for Entrepreneurship. We look forward to growing together for another year!

Kavelle Maharaj (she/her), Event Coordinator and Community Liaison at Humber College's Lakeshore Campus, explains her passion for event management and helping others in this month's Sustainability Spotlight.  

When asked how she would define sustainability, she stated, “The focus is usually on the environment piece when we say sustainability. To me, it is a bit more. It is more about people and the health of our communities. It’s important to me because we must protect and preserve our ecosystems and we have to improve the quality of life of everyone.” 

Kavelle’s advice for anyone looking to get involved with sustainability-related projects is, “Question what you think the world needs right now. Also, ask.”  

To learn about Kavelle and her commitment to sustainability on campus, watch her full feature interview.

The health and safety of our staff and students remain our top priorities.

For the fall term, Humber will continue to follow the direction of Toronto Public Health and maintain robust health and safety measures, including: 

• Masks or face coverings continue to be mandatory inside all Humber campus buildings. 
• Required COVID-19 self-screening for anyone coming to campus using the Humber Guardian App. 
• Physical distancing continues to be required across campus and class sizes will be reduced to support physical distancing in each training space. Where physical distancing is not possible, additional health and safety protocols will be introduced. Although recent provincial government guidelines stated that physical distancing would not be required at colleges and universities, Humber will continue with this measure to help keep our community safe knowing the high transmission rate of the Delta variant. 
• Access to rapid testing for staff and students on campus. 
• Students living in residence, varsity athletes and those in select programs with specific work-integrated learning requirements must be fully vaccinated. 
• Offering student services virtually as well as in-person. 
• Required health and safety training and orientation for all employees. 
• Enhanced cleaning and sanitization of equipment, tools and spaces. 
• Strategies to ensure appropriate ventilation on campus, such as increasing air change rates and maintaining proper humidification levels to limit the pathogens in the air.

Vaccinations are a critical public health measure in reducing the risk and spread of COVID-19. Humber strongly encourages staff and students to get vaccinated. 

Information on vaccines and vaccine clinics is available at www.humber.ca/campus-return/vaccination-information and the college plans to hold pop-up vaccination clinics on campus in the fall. 

Humber is continually assessing our health and safety measures and will update or adapt our approaches as required.