Dear colleagues,

On January 3, 2022, the provincial government announced that Ontario will be temporarily moving to a modified Step Two of the Roadmap to Reopen, effective January 5, 2022 until January 26, 2022.

These measures include requiring all publicly funded and private schools to move to remote learning starting January 5 until at least January 17, subject to public health trends and operational considerations.

In light of this announcement, Managers, Chairs, and Division Heads are once again asked to be as accommodating as possible by permitting requests for flexible hours, vacation time, and/or lieu time (if applicable), and ultimately unpaid leave, if necessary, until the province returns to in-person learning for school age children.

All employees must work remotely until Monday, January 31, 2022, with the exception of those whose job duties require them to work on-site, such as employees who support operations, construction and ancillary services, who provide in-person student support, or who are needed for specific in-person research activities.

We understand the stress that these rapidly changing circumstances continues to have on members of our community. We particularly appreciate and recognize those who, since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, have continued to be on campus delivering important and necessary services and support to keep our University functioning. We will continue to update you with information to support your current activities and future decisions about winter plans.