The pandemic so far seems to have hit the City of Oshawa's coffers at a cost of around $2 Million.
The City will be conducting a line-by-line review of the 2020 Budget to identify 'budget risk mitigation strategies to help offset the financial impacts of the COVID-19 crisis and will report to Council on this in the future."
417 City employees have been laid off: 130 regular part-time, 284 regular part time and 3 temporary full time...details are in Oshawa City Manager's Covid-19 Update Report CNCL-20-24 to be discussed at the Monday Apr 27th electronic Council meeting. (the chart below is from page 67)
For context of the numbers in the chart it is good to translate to Full Time Equivalents (FTE). Page 66 indicates "The City’s staff complement is 776 FTEs (Full-time Equivalents), which is approximately 1,250 employees. As of April 20, 2020, self-isolation due to COVID-19 was required for a total of 141 City employees overall during this pandemic. As of April 20, 2020, 16 employees are still self-isolating. Although a number of employees were in self-isolation many were still working from home. Others could not work from home due to the nature of their work and were being paid (i.e., firefighters, Operations)"...
The City will be conducting a line-by-line review of the 2020 Budget to identify 'budget risk mitigation strategies to help offset the financial impacts of the COVID-19 crisis and will report to Council on this in the future."
417 City employees have been laid off: 130 regular part-time, 284 regular part time and 3 temporary full time...details are in Oshawa City Manager's Covid-19 Update Report CNCL-20-24 to be discussed at the Monday Apr 27th electronic Council meeting. (the chart below is from page 67)
For context of the numbers in the chart it is good to translate to Full Time Equivalents (FTE). Page 66 indicates "The City’s staff complement is 776 FTEs (Full-time Equivalents), which is approximately 1,250 employees. As of April 20, 2020, self-isolation due to COVID-19 was required for a total of 141 City employees overall during this pandemic. As of April 20, 2020, 16 employees are still self-isolating. Although a number of employees were in self-isolation many were still working from home. Others could not work from home due to the nature of their work and were being paid (i.e., firefighters, Operations)"...
It was apparent 5 weeks ago that Canadian municipalities would be hit with revenue shortfalls and there would be workers with no work to do (example school crossing guards). Like so many businesses, municipalities informed employees of temporary layoffs. Whitby laid off their recreation employees March 23 at their first electronic council meeting as rec centre closures meant programs cancelled.
Mayor Carter, under his delegation of authority by-law during a declared emergency, cancelled Oshawa's March 23 Council meeting.
On April 2nd, the day after his TeleTownHall with the BIA and Chamber, Oshawa Council was informed of the first batch of layoffs. The next day, April 3, I wrote the Mayor, City Manager, Director of HR and Commissioner of Finance the following. with my questions:
"Further to your email to Council yesterday about the delegated authority decision to lay off 126 crossing guards and 256 rec/culture department employees; and the Mar 22nd email I sent Council and CLT which contained a link to the Agenda for Whitby’s March 23rd electronic council meeting and Jackie Long’s Report CAO 11-20 “Update Regarding the Recent Temporary Layoffs of Part-Time Employees” https://whitby.civicweb.net/.../A41014EC20714F0A9524459F2...
could you please provide Oshawa Council with details (similar to the information Jackie Long provided to Whitby Council) regarding:
1. the revenue losses from the facilities/programs and service shutdown/cancellations;
2. a breakdown of cost savings of the facilities/programs and services shutdown/cancellations ;
3. a breakdown of the number of the COVID-19 laid-off employees who are full-time, part-time or temporary; also,
4. number of staff since March 13th who have been redeployed to other positions or departments due to city facilities being closed to the public;
5. number of staff, if any, following the April 5 lay-off of the crossing guards and rec and culture staff, are at home and paid, but not able to work;
6. number of staff, if any, that have notified the City they are not able to work on account of COVID-19 self-isolation or COVID-19 care-giving?
.
At an AMO webinar on Monday, some municipalities spoke about the economic recovery task forces they are setting up.
Example: Collingwood: https://www.collingwoodtoday.ca/.../collingwood-strikes... and
Mississauga’s with business portal https://www.thefutureisunlimited.ca/covid-19/
City of Barrie BIA set up a COVID-19 business impact survey https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSdgBbp2gHg14t.../viewform
Imo these are of interest because 1) an Oshawa economic recovery task force will help generate ideas, and 2) a City-wide survey asking Oshawa residents how COVID-19 has impacted them could guide Oshawa recovery measures.
I prefer an electronic Council meeting be held earlier than the April 27 date mentioned in the Mayor’s March 30th Memo to Council.
Last note, as I had another call yesterday about what the city is doing about the April tax payment, it might be helpful to repost information about the tax deferral option the City has made available to property taxpayers.
Regards,
Rosemary
Mayor Carter, under his delegation of authority by-law during a declared emergency, cancelled Oshawa's March 23 Council meeting.
On April 2nd, the day after his TeleTownHall with the BIA and Chamber, Oshawa Council was informed of the first batch of layoffs. The next day, April 3, I wrote the Mayor, City Manager, Director of HR and Commissioner of Finance the following. with my questions:
"Further to your email to Council yesterday about the delegated authority decision to lay off 126 crossing guards and 256 rec/culture department employees; and the Mar 22nd email I sent Council and CLT which contained a link to the Agenda for Whitby’s March 23rd electronic council meeting and Jackie Long’s Report CAO 11-20 “Update Regarding the Recent Temporary Layoffs of Part-Time Employees” https://whitby.civicweb.net/.../A41014EC20714F0A9524459F2...
could you please provide Oshawa Council with details (similar to the information Jackie Long provided to Whitby Council) regarding:
1. the revenue losses from the facilities/programs and service shutdown/cancellations;
2. a breakdown of cost savings of the facilities/programs and services shutdown/cancellations ;
3. a breakdown of the number of the COVID-19 laid-off employees who are full-time, part-time or temporary; also,
4. number of staff since March 13th who have been redeployed to other positions or departments due to city facilities being closed to the public;
5. number of staff, if any, following the April 5 lay-off of the crossing guards and rec and culture staff, are at home and paid, but not able to work;
6. number of staff, if any, that have notified the City they are not able to work on account of COVID-19 self-isolation or COVID-19 care-giving?
.
At an AMO webinar on Monday, some municipalities spoke about the economic recovery task forces they are setting up.
Example: Collingwood: https://www.collingwoodtoday.ca/.../collingwood-strikes... and
Mississauga’s with business portal https://www.thefutureisunlimited.ca/covid-19/
City of Barrie BIA set up a COVID-19 business impact survey https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSdgBbp2gHg14t.../viewform
Imo these are of interest because 1) an Oshawa economic recovery task force will help generate ideas, and 2) a City-wide survey asking Oshawa residents how COVID-19 has impacted them could guide Oshawa recovery measures.
I prefer an electronic Council meeting be held earlier than the April 27 date mentioned in the Mayor’s March 30th Memo to Council.
Last note, as I had another call yesterday about what the city is doing about the April tax payment, it might be helpful to repost information about the tax deferral option the City has made available to property taxpayers.
Regards,
Rosemary