Mississauga to lay off about 2,000 part-time employees during coronavirus facility closures

Yorkregion.com
April 6, 2020
Chris Clay

The City of Mississauga is laying off about 2,000 part-time employees due to closures at some municipal facilities during the coronavirus pandemic.

In a news release, the city said it will temporarily lay off the employees -- who work in non-essential services at municipal facilities that are closed to help limit the spread of coronavirus -- as of April 17. The city said that the majority of layoffs will be part-time employees in Community Services as community centres, libraries and cultural facilities are closed indefinitely.

"This is a very difficult decision and certainly not one that was taken lightly," said Mayor Bonnie Crombie in a release. "The city is facing significant financial pressures as a result of this pandemic and we are taking action to respond to the facility closures and their impact on our operations. I understand the stress this decision will have on our employees. We will continue to be in communication with those impacted and have extended our employee and family assistance program to all staff during this difficult time."

In the release, the city said it had hoped to reopen its facilities as of April 5 and had decided to pay part-time staff for their previously scheduled shifts during the closure. However, the municipality said it's "no longer financially viable for the city to maintain regular staffing levels" with the closures having been extended.

City manager Janice Baker added that "as soon as we are able, we will be recalling our part-time staff back to work."

"When we began to adjust our city services and programming to mitigate the risks of COVID-19, we hoped the shutdown would be short-lived. With the recent extension of the Provincial Emergency, it seems likely that our facilities will be closed for some time," said Baker in the release. "The layoffs are a direct result of city program cancellations and facility closures, not having work available for part-time employees during the shutdown of non-essential services, and the severe financial pressures we are seeing on our 2020 financial results. I am very much aware of the stress and anxiety that this news may cause our employees."