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Vaccine Exemption for Children

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Page Summary

Parents or guardians may choose to exempt their children from vaccines for personal or medical reasons. This page outlines the legal process for getting a vaccine exemption.

Important information regarding vaccines required for school

Halton Region Public Health will be enforcing the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA) for high school cohorts in the 2023-2024 school year. To learn more about vaccines required to attend school, and about immunization in general (including translated resources) visit:

 

Updating Immunization Records

You can update your immunization record in various ways:

Online

Telephone, mail or fax

  • Telephone: Call 311
  • Mail or drop-off: Halton Region Public Health, Vaccination Services, 1151 Bronte Road, Oakville, ON, L6M 3L1
  • Fax (secure): 905-465-3403

Vaccine Exemptions for Children Attending Child Care

To help keep our children safe and healthy, before children can attend child care, parents/guardians must provide their child care provider with proof of immunization or exemption. Parents must submit these records to Halton Region Public Health AND to their child care provider. Your child’s family doctor does not report their immunizations.

Ontario’s Child Care and Early Years Act (CCEYA) (external link) requires children who attend licensed child care to be immunized against the following diseases:

  • Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (whooping cough), Polio and Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib)
  • Pneumococcal disease
  • Rotavirus (Only given 6 to 32 weeks of age)
  • Meningococcal disease group C
  • Measles, Mumps and Rubella
  • Varicella (chickenpox)

Parents must report any vaccine(s) their child receives to Halton Region Public Health. Please visit Halton’s online vaccine reporting tool to view and update your child’s immunization record.

Vaccine Exemptions for Children Attending Licensed Child Care

If your child has not received one or more of the required child care immunizations due to medical or non-medical reasons, you must provide one (1) of the following to Halton Region Public Health:

Vaccine Exemption for Medical Reasons - Child Care

  1. Complete a Statement of Medical Exemption for Child Care form (external link) signed by your child’s physician or nurse practitioner.
  2. Make a copy of the document for your personal records and for your child care provider.
  3. Submit the original signed form to Halton Region in one of the following ways:
    • Fax (directly from your healthcare provider) to: Vaccination Services, Halton Region Public Health, fax number 905-465-3403, or;
    • Mail to: Vaccination Services, Halton Region Public Health, Halton Regional Centre, 1151 Bronte Road, Oakville ON L6M 3L1, or;
    • Drop off in-person: Vaccination Services, Halton Region Public Health at the Halton Regional Centre, 1151 Bronte Road, Oakville (Google Maps link)

Note: It may take up to 10 business days to process vaccine exemptions.

Vaccine Exemption for Non-Medical Reasons - Child Care

  1. Complete the Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief for Child form (external link) and have it notarized by a Commissioner for Taking Affidavits (see a list of commissioners below).
  2. Make a copy of the completed document for your personal records and for your child care provider.
  3. Submit the original signed form to Halton Region Public Health in one of the following ways:

Note: It may take up to 10 business days to process vaccine exemptions.

Commissioning/signing the Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief form (sworn affidavit) - Child Care

The Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief form for non-medical vaccine exemptions (external link) must be signed by a commissioner of oaths for taking affidavits (e.g. notary public).

For more information, please visit the find a notary public or commissioner of oaths for taking affidavits page on ontario.ca (external link). Please note that the Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief form for non-medical vaccine exemptions (external link) is considered an affidavit within the “private or commercial transactions” category.

For the protection of your child and the community, please note that your child may be unable to attend child care in the event of an outbreak of an infectious disease for which they are not immunized.

Note: Once your child enters school, a child care non-medical vaccine exemption will expire. You will need to get another vaccine exemption for school. For more information, please visit the section below—Vaccine Exemptions for Children Attending School.

Vaccine Exemptions for Children Attending School

To help keep our children safe and healthy, before children can attend school, parents/guardians must submit their child’s immunization records to Halton Region Public Health. Your child’s family doctor does not report their immunizations.

Children and adolescents who have received all recommended vaccines as per the current Ontario immunization schedule will not require any further immunizations.

Keep our children healthy and our schools disease-free

Children and adolescents attending primary or secondary school in Ontario must have proof of immunization against the following designated diseases:

  1. Diphtheria
  2. Tetanus
  3. Polio
  4. Measles
  5. Mumps
  6. Rubella
  7. Meningococcal Disease (meningococcal disease group C ages 1 to 11 years of age) (meningococcal disease group ACYW135 ages 12 years and older)
  8. Pertussis (whooping cough)
  9. Varicella (chickenpox) – for children born in 2010 or later

Vaccine Exemptions for Students Attending Primary and Secondary School

Under the Immunization of School Pupils Act (external link), your child can be exempted from immunization for medical reasons or non-medical reasons (due to conscience or religious belief). If your child is under 18 years old and requires an exemption for one or more of the immunizations required to attend school, you must provide one (1) of the following to Halton Region Public Health:

Vaccine Exemption for Medical Reasons - School

  1. Complete a Statement of Medical Exemption for Immunization of School Pupils Act form (external link) signed by your child’s physician or nurse practitioner.
  2. Make a copy of the completed and signed form for your personal records.
  3. Submit the original signed form to Halton Region Public Health in one of the following ways:

Note: It may take up to 10 business days to process vaccine exemptions.

Vaccine Exemption for Non-Medical Reasons - School

Submit a Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief-Immunization of School Pupils Act form (non-medical exemption) (external link) AND a Vaccine Education Certificate by completing the following steps:

  1. Watch the required Vaccine Education Video (YouTube video). The video covers:
    • basic information about vaccination;
    • vaccine safety;
    • how immunization affects overall public health; and
    • immunization law in Ontario.
  2. Email accesshalton@halton.ca or call 311 to request a Vaccine Education Certificate. Please provide ALL of the following information in your request:
    • Confirmation that you have watched the vaccine education video.
    • Your name, address, email, phone number, and the name(s) of any children for whom you are requesting a non-medical vaccine exemption.
    • The format in which you consent to receive the certificate (electronically by email, or as a paper copy by regular mail).
    • Indicate whether you have any additional questions about the video, the exemption process, or about immunization in general.
  3. Download and complete the Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief-Immunization of School Pupils Act form (external link) and have it signed by a Commissioner for Taking Affidavits (see a list of commissioners below).
  4. Make a copy of the completed and signed form for your personal records.
  5. Submit the original signed Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief-Immunization of School Pupils Act form (external link) AND a copy of the Vaccine Education Certificate to Halton Region Public Health in one of the following ways:

Note: It may take up to 10 business days to process vaccine exemptions.

 

Commissioning/signing the Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief form (sworn affidavit) - School

The Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief form for non-medical vaccine exemptions (external link) must be signed by a commissioner of oaths for taking affidavits (e.g. notary public).

For more information, please visit the find a notary public or commissioner of oaths for taking affidavits page on ontario.ca (external link). Please note that the Statement of Conscience or Religious Belief form for non-medical vaccine exemptions (external link) is considered an affidavit within the “private or commercial transactions” category.

For the protection of your child and the community, please note that your child may be unable to attend school in the event of an outbreak of an infectious disease for which they are not immunized.

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