Kenneth Rodgers found out he was laid off just three days before Christmas, meaning he lost the benefits coverage that paid for his daughter's chemotherapy.

A clearer picture is emerging about the impact of government layoffs in southern Alberta. Many of the job losses involve Alberta Agriculture and Forestry employees.

"These are public sector workers in a variety of fields... community disability workers as well as people who work in wildfire management as well as farm safety," the NDP said.

Upwards of 11,000 individuals will be affected by the layoffs, which are hoped to result in savings of $600 million per year once implemented.

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo is eliminating 168 positions as a result of the poor Alberta economy and the impact of last spring's Fort McMurray wildfire.

Employees learned of the dates when layoffs would take effect last week, spokesperson Rob Evans told Global News.

Company spokesman Rob Evans said Friday the cuts are part of a global staff realignment to match future activity levels, with Canada looking less attractive than some of its other operations.