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Town lays off staff to find savings as it responds to COVID-19

May 7, 2020   ·   0 Comments

As COVID-19 has placed mounting financial pressures on the Town of New Tecumseth, the municipality has laid off nearly 100 employees.

The staffing impact has solely effected part time, temporary full time, and permanent part time staff.

There’s also been a freeze to hiring. Around this time of the year the Town usually hires 63 students and 14 seasonal positions, positions which are not being filled.

There are $551,000 in cost savings from not hiring students and $425,000 for not hiring seasonal workers.

The impact to full-time positions is still being determined.

Meanwhile, all of the Town’s contract and part time staff have had their employment suspended through lay-offs, accounting for a savings of $476,000.

There are no vacancies being filled as well, creating a savings of $363,000.

However, Town staffing resources are being redirected to different departments when appropriate.

“We’re redeploying a number of our facility staff to our parks and open spaces because as the warmer weather starts to make an appearance, we want to ensure that our open spaces and our parks continue to at least receive about a 50 percent level of service that we would normally achieve,” Parkin noted.

He said Town staff work to ensure the municipality’s green spaces and Town-owned properties looks the best they can.

“There’s a certain pride in looking after what we own and allowing people to continue to use those open spaces, as long as they use them responsibly and respectively,” he explained.

As well, a number of Town staff have undertaken cleaning contracts which were cancelled when New Tecumseth declared a state of emergency in March.

By Sam Odrowski
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

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