By: Mike Anderson

Following the lead of other Ontario municipalities, the Town of Georgina is laying off 48 employees as a result of its COVID-19 facility closures and program cancellations.

The layoffs are all part-time positions or students, no full time employees have been laid off.

Most of the impacted employees work at the Georgina Public Library, the Town’s Recreation and Culture Department, and Office of the Deputy CAO.

The Town has also holding off hiring 143 seasonal employees this summer until conditions improve.

According to CAO David Reddon, the layoffs will not impact the Town’s ability to deliver essential services. However, they are necessary to remain fiscally responsible.

“These are unprecedented times – and the Town has been placed in a position of making some unprecedented decisions in response to COVID-19 as it impacts staff,” said Mr. Reddon in a statement emailed to the Post.

“The timelines for the provincial declared emergency, continued school closures, facility closures, program cancellations and physical distancing observances continue to be extended with no immediate end in sight. As a result of these continued cancellations and closures, the Town of Georgina made the difficult decision to adjust its staffing level.

To remain fiscally responsible to our residents, it was prudent to look at this corporately and from a workload perspective – specifically to the areas where there have been facility closures and program cancellations. The Town continues to evaluate and adjust its operations in response to the pandemic.”

According to a spokesperson from the Town, the municipality employs a total of 439 employees, full-time (259), permanent part-time (37), and (143) seasonal.

The Town’s total salary and benefit expenses for 2020 are approximately $34,784,370, which represents a 3 per cent increase from 2019.

Mike Anderson
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