ATHABASCA - The temporary closure of the Athabasca Regional Multiplex has resulted in 40 layoffs of part-time staff at the facility for at least the next two months.
Affected staff were notified last week after the Athabasca Regional Multiplex Society (ARMS) voted at its March 30 board meeting to implement the temporary layoffs, following the closure of the facility March 15 due to the precautions being taken nationwide to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“It was a hard thing for us to decide,” said society chair and Athabasca town councillor Rob Balay. “We are spending taxpayers’ dollars, so we are trying to do the right thing.”
ARMS is made up of three councillors from the Town of Athabasca and three councillors from Athabasca County. The vote was unanimous.
Balay noted they expect to call these staff, some of whom regularly work anywhere from eight to 30 hours a week or more, back to work within 59 days of the notification. But, he said, it’s difficult to predict when the gathering restrictions will be lifted.
“In the interim, we will continue paying their employee benefits, with the exception of long and short-term disability for the duration of their layoff,” said Balay, adding the employees were immediately given their records of employment to make it possible to apply for employment insurance and other supports introduced by the provincial and federal governments as promptly as possible.
In the meantime, the Multiplex society is also looking at the federal government’s 75 per cent emergency wage subsidy being offered to businesses and non-profits that have lost more than 30 per cent of their revenue as a result of the virus. That program alone is expected to cost the federal government $71 billion.
“We will be trying to apply for that for our full-time employees, because we do qualify as a non-profit organization … That will help with the bottom line as well, but we’ll have to wait and see on that one,” said Balay.
The purpose of the wage subsidy is to help those who qualify to keep their full-time employees working. The remaining 12 full-time Multiplex staff will be put to work on maintenance and other projects in the building.
“This is an opportunity to get a bunch of maintenance done that maybe hasn’t been a focus for a while,” said Balay.
The municipal partners of the society are really trying to make the best of a very unfortunate situation that is unfolding in every community in Canada and beyond, he added. As such, the company hired to construct the facility is also going to take the time to come in to complete their project efficiency analysis of the pool and fitness centre.
“That way, once we open, we don’t have to shut down to do that.”
Chris Zwick,TownandCountryToday.com
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