RED DEER -- The City of Lacombe has temporarily laid off nearly a third of its workforce as it grapples with the impact of COVID-19.
The city said the temporary layoffs of 50 non-essential staff were due to COVID-19 pandemic prevention measures.
With many service areas not being accessible due to federal and provincial regulations, staff such as lifeguards, events staff, customer service representatives, and other non-essential workers were laid off.
“It became clear to us as soon as the province announced restrictions on the closure of certain facilities like pools, arenas, event facilities that we weren’t going to have work for a lot of these employees,” said Matthew Goudy, Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Lacombe.
Goudy said while these staff members were laid off because their area of service was deemed non-essential, they are still valued by the city.
“Non-essential, in this case, certainly doesn’t mean not valued by the municipality," he said."
“These individuals, and the services they provide, are highly valued in our community.”
Goudy reiterated that the layoffs are temporary, and that the city hopes to have everyone back once COVID-19 measures are lifted.
“These are not conclusions of employment with the city," he said. “We’re looking forward to the day that we can lift those temporarily lay-offs.”
Goudy said one reason the city decided to temporarily lay off staff was to provide them with the opportunity to apply for government funding.
“If there’s no shifts at the pool and there’s no shifts at the arena, there’s just no ability for them to access pay," he said."
“One of the reasons that we looked at this was actually to make sure that those employees that are effected are eligible for the expanded employment insurance program as well as the Canadian emergency response benefit.”
There are currently three COVID-19 cases in the Lacombe Country region.
