The City of Winnipeg is laying off hundreds of city workers during the novel coronavirus outbreak.
On Wednesday, the city said 674 non-permanent staff working at the city-owned and -operated rec centres, pools, arenas and libraries that were closed last month are now being temporarily laid off.
“With a community that’s being asked to stay at home to prevent the spread of a virus that is having a devastating effect on communities around the world, comes the unfortunate reality that jobs have been affected,” said Mayor Brian Bowman at an afternoon press conference.
“As a government we’ve tried our utmost to balance the support of our employees to the greatest extent … while continuing to be responsible guardians of tax-payer dollars.
“Today we’re in a heart-breaking position.”
The city said it has made efforts to find alternate work for those affected but says not enough was available. Bowman stressed the layoffs are not a reflection of employees’ work or value to the city.
The temporary layoffs go into effect starting April 25 and will save the city roughly $1 million a month, said the city’s interim Chief Administrative Officer, Mike Ruta.
The affected employees have continued to be paid since facilities were closed in mid-March, and Ruta said Wednesday that’s because the city wanted to wait to see how long the province’s public health orders would be in place before making the decision to lay them off.
“We weren’t sure until over the last number of weeks that the COVID-19 would be as extensive as it has been in the City of Winnipeg,” he said.
“It wasn’t until just recently that we really took the position that this COVID-19 virus was going to have an extensive impact well into the summer and potentially into the fall.”
‘A difficult time for many’
Bowman couldn’t say whether or not further layoffs should be expected.
“It really will be contingent on where things evolve in terms of the response to COVID-19,” he said.
“Obviously the longer the pandemic goes on, the more acute these decisions will become.”
Ruta said the city was “keeping all options available to us open” when asked specifically if any of the city’s permanent staff could also face layoffs.
“As the mayor says we really have to look at it day by day,” said Ruta.
Employees who are temporarily laid off will have access to mental health supports, the city said, and will continue to be included in communications from their employer.
The city said it has registered a supplementary unemployment benefit plan with the federal government for affected employees who regularly receive employment insurance benefits, which will provide a top-up of up to 75 per cent of their regular gross weekly salary during the layoff.
Ruta said affected employees will be rehired as soon as the city is able to do so.
“In the meantime, our staff in human resource services will work with employees impacted by this temporary layoff to help them access any federal programs that may be available,” he said.
“We recognize that this is a difficult time for many, especially those who are now facing the reality of being temporarily without a job. This was not a decision that we came to easily.
“Every employee is important to us, and we will continue to support them as we move forward.”
Ruta said the layoffs don’t include the roughly 16 permanent staff in community services whose positions were also affected by the closure of city-run facilities.
He said those employees have been redeployed to other city departments, Winnipeg Harvest, and into community service ambassador positions.
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are legally obligated to self-isolate for 14 days, beginning March 26, in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others. Some provinces and territories have also implemented additional recommendations or enforcement measures to ensure those returning to the area self-isolate.
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.