For the third time in just under a year, the City of Grande Prairie has handed out temporary pink slips due to the fallout of COVID-19.
In an emailed statement to MyGrandePrairieNow.com, city officials confirm 39 more staff from recreation facilities have been temporarily laid off. They also maintain that the City of Grande Prairie has made an effort to retain as many employees as possible by moving them to other departments in need of temporary staff.
“With extended provincial restrictions resulting in the ongoing closure of recreation facilities, and all available positions for redeployment filled, we made the difficult decision to issue temporary layoffs for 39 staff from recreation facilities effective today.”
In April 2020, the municipality laid off 60 employees while redeploying another 45 staff members. Those employees were moved to city-owned recreation facilities to help support summer parks positions.
These layoffs come just weeks after 330 casual and temporary employees were also laid off. The majority of those were working at recreation and event facilities like the Eastlink Centre and Revolution Place, which have largely been shuttered due to COVID-19 measures.
The city representatives say they understand recreation is an important part of a healthy community, and they look forward to welcoming staff and residents back to the facilities once restrictions allow.