Some City of Orillia staff are out of work now that the province has issued a stay-at-home order.
The city has issued “temporary suspensions” as a result of that order and the province being in the grey (lockdown) zone, said Jennifer Ruff, director of business development and communications.
“The temporary suspension of employment notifications were provided to contract, unionized and management staff based on an evaluation of the services not permitted to operate or be open during the mandated lockdown and stay-at-home orders,” she said.
She did not say how many employees were affected.
Asked if there was a plan to bring the employees back to work eventually, she said, “The city continues to monitor provincial orders and its impact on city operations as we evaluate our service delivery and workforce.”
Temporary suspensions of employment were issued in December, after the province went into lockdown, and more were issued this month, after the stay-at-home order.
“The city is committed to delivering essential services to the community while also mitigating the financial impact of provincial orders on the city’s operating costs in order to proactively and responsibly manage the financial impact of the pandemic on the municipality,” Ruff said.
The city laid off staff in March, too, soon after the COVID-19 pandemic was declared.
