April 27, 2020
Reductions in transit service, reductions in outdoor programming, and lower demand for administrative services are leading to temporary layoffs of an additional 900 City employees.
Nearly half of the affected staff are transit operators, while others provide administrative, analytical, community liaison, human resources, technology, training, and other services across all City departments.
“COVID-19 is continuing to have an impact on public health, the economy, and City services, and again it is taking a toll on our colleagues,” said Interim City Manager Adam Laughlin.
The total number of staff facing a temporary layoff has been slightly reduced through other workforce strategies. Employees have been redeployed to support the City’s COVID-19 response, including staffing the EXPO Centre and providing additional transit cleaning. In addition, permanent staff may be redeployed for summer programs, outside maintenance and waste collection.
The length of the temporary layoffs has not been confirmed. “How the City responds and recovers will determine when and how we bring employees back,” said Laughlin.
In other steps to manage workforce costs, the City has cancelled a number of recruitments. Positions which are not mission-critical will remain vacant, and recalls of seasonal workers will not proceed at previous levels.
“We are making every effort to treat our staff with compassion and care, whether they are temporarily away from their job or working in a different way. We continue to adjust municipal operations to support our residents and community through these challenging times,” he concluded.
