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COVID-19 Vaccination Procedure - High Risk Activity Designation

  • Related Documents:   COVID-19 Vaccination PolicyFace Mask Policy, Face Mask Procedure
  • Owner:  General Counsel, Secretary of the Board of Governors and University Privacy Officer, Provost and Vice-President, Academic; Vice-President Administration and Operations
  • Approval Dates:  December 2021
  • Next Review Date:  TBD

I.          Purpose

These procedures (the “Procedures”) assist in the interpretation and application of the University’s COVID-19 Vaccination Policy (the “Policy”) with respect to the process by which the University may designate certain In-Person Activities for which there is a greater risk of transmission of COVID-19 as High Risk Activities.

II.         Application and Scope

These procedures apply to all staff, faculty, and students of the University, and Contractors working on and visitors to Ryerson University Premises.  

These procedures are subject to any laws or government orders applicable to Ryerson University.

The University may revise these Procedures or establish exceptions as may be necessary or deemed prudent by the University, having regard to all relevant factors and to ensure ongoing responsiveness to public health and safety developments and conditions, legal developments, and Ryerson University’s activities and operations.

III.  Definitions

All capitalized terms not otherwise defined in these Procedures have the meanings set out in the Policy.

  1. “Additional Requirements” means a requirement, instruction, direction, or action that must be taken in addition to the requirements, instructions, directions, or actions set out in University Policy or University directions at the time the new requirement, instruction, direction, or action was imposed.
  2. “Contractor” means an individual or organization who is providing goods or services to the University under contract with the University, or who are in the process of bidding on contracts to provide goods or services to the University, and any employee, subcontractor, agent or any other individual for whom such individual or organization is responsible.
  3. “In-Person Activity” means an activity, event, meeting, gathering, or other engagement that occurs in the physical presence of another individual, and which is undertaken under the direction, arrangement, approval, or endorsement of the University, including as may be required as a function of an individual’s employment for the University, and for purposes of academic instruction.
  4. “High-Risk Activity” has the meaning set out in Section IV (1) below.
  5. “Policy” means the University’s COVID-19 Vaccination Policy
  6. “University” means Ryerson University.
  7. “University Executive” means an Assistant Vice-President, Vice-Provost, Deputy Provost, Associate General Counsel, or higher ranked individual within the University

IV.  Designating High Risk Activities

  1. A University Executive may designate a specific In-Person Activity for which they have oversight within the University as a “High Risk Activity” by providing the Office of the General Counsel and Board Secretariat with a written confirmation of such designation, together with a description of any Additional Requirements that individuals participating in such High Risk Activities must observe as a condition of participating in the High Risk Activity.
  2. In making the determination that an In-Person Activity is a High Risk Activity, the University Executive should take into account the nature of the In-Person Activity, the potential risks of transmission of COVID-19, public health guidelines and recommendations, the advice of the University’s Environmental Health and Safety department, and the desire of the University to protect members of the University community and the broader community with which the University interacts.
  3. The University Executive who designates an In-Person Activity as a High Risk Activity is responsible for ensuring the public communication of any Additional Requirements that individuals participating in the designated High Risk Activity must observe.
  4. Upon the communication of any applicable Additional Requirements for a High Risk Activity to the University community, the failure of a student, staff or faculty member, Contractor, or visitor to abide by the Additional Requirements will be considered a violation of the Policy.
  5. The General Counsel and Board Secretariat is responsible for maintaining the list of designated High Risk Activities as Schedule A to these Procedures, and for publicly posting such list on the University Administrative Policies website.

Schedule A - Designated High Risk Activities

High Risk Activity

Responsible University Executive

Additional Requirements

In-person experiential learning (EL) opportunities taking place in health care facilities including hospitals and community and home-care service providers

Vice Provost, Academic

●       Students must provide proof of Vaccination through the RyersonSafe App, and must either be Fully Vaccinated or have received an exemption from the University, unless otherwise agreed by the EL site.

●       Faculty, instructors and staff attending at an EL site for the purposes of instruction and/or evaluation must provide proof of Vaccination through the RyersonSafe App, and must either be Fully Vaccinated or have received an exemption from the University, unless otherwise agreed by the EL site.          

In-person experiential learning (EL) opportunities taking place in an organization for which Ryerson University has attested that it will confirm vaccination status.   

Vice Provost, Academic

●       Students must provide proof of Vaccination through the RyersonSafe App, and must either be Fully Vaccinated or have received an exemption from the University, unless otherwise agreed by the EL site.

●       Faculty, instructors and staff attending at an EL site for the purposes of instruction and/or evaluation must provide proof of Vaccination through the RyersonSafe App, and must either be Fully Vaccinated or have received an exemption from the University, unless otherwise agreed by the EL site.

Interviews or other in-person interaction with human participants occurring as part of data collection for a research study occurring off-campus

Vice President, Research and Innovation

●       Researchers (faculty, staff and student) must provide proof of Vaccination through the RyersonSafe App and must either be Fully Vaccinated or have received an exemption from the University prior to undertaking any in-person data collection

●       Researchers must develop, and have approved by their Chair/Director, Dean, EHS, REB, and OVPRI, a Safe SRC Plan that documents the safety protocols to be observed in undertaking SRC activities. EHS is available to assist in the development of this plan. 

Off-campus research activities involving two or more University community members (faculty, staff or students) taking place indoors or otherwise in a confined space such as a vehicle

Vice President, Research and Innovation

●       Researchers (faculty, staff and student) must provide proof of Vaccination through the RyersonSafe App and must either be Fully Vaccinated or have received an exemption from the University prior to undertaking the in-person research activity

●       Researchers must develop, and have approved by their Chair/Director, Dean, and OVPRI, a Safe SRC Plan that documents the safety protocols to be observed in undertaking SRC activities. EHS is available to assist in the development of this plan.

Varsity sports and competitive sports clubs

Vice Provost Students

●       Students participating in varsity sports and competitive sports clubs in any capacity (including as team members, coaches or support personnel) must provide proof of Vaccination through the RyersonSafe App, and must either be Fully Vaccinated or have received an exemption from the University

●       Staff and faculty members participating in varsity sports in any capacity (including coaches or support personnel) must provide proof of Vaccination through the RyersonSafe App, and must either be Fully Vaccinated or have received an exemption from the University 

In-person meetings or activities with donors, sponsors, prospects or alumni for University Advancement business

Vice President, University Advancement

●       Advancement staff must provide proof of Vaccination through the RyersonSafe App and must either be Fully Vaccinated or have received an exemption from the University prior to undertaking any such in-person meetings or activities

●       The process for planning and approval of events is to be followed, refer to https://sites.google.com/ryerson.ca/events-at-ryerson/ (external link) 

All student international travel undertaken under the auspices of Ryerson University (whether for academic or non-academic purposes)

Provost and Vice President, Academic

●       Students participating in international travel under the auspices of the University or otherwise sponsored, endorsed, or supported by the University, whether for academic credit, experiential learning or otherwise must provide proof of Vaccination through the RyersonSafe App, and must either be Fully Vaccinated or have received an exemption from the University