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Town of Canmore lays off 100 staff to shut down recreation facilities

"When we look at our recreational facilities, our two largest buildings in our portfolio, Elevation Place and the Canmore Rec Centre, will see a complete facility closure," said Chief Administrative Officer Lisa de Soto in an update to council. "Unfortunately and heartbreakingly, for Elevation Place at this time of year it will mean that many of our recreation service department staff will be laid off."
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Signs prompt guests to use hand sanitizer at the Elevation Place climbing gym, as the facility reopened to the public on Monday (July 20). The climbing gym and fitness areas were reopened at a reduced capacity. EVAN BUHLER RMO PHOTO⁠

CANMORE – The Town of Canmore has laid off 100 staff as a result of provincial public health measures that have mandated closure of recreational facilities.

Elevation Place and the Canmore Rec Centre closed to the public on Sunday (Dec. 13) as part of additional restrictions put in place by the provincial government that affect recreation facilities, including gyms, studios, spas, pools and arenas. 

"When we look at our recreational facilities, our two largest buildings in our portfolio, Elevation Place and the Canmore Rec Centre, will see a complete facility closure," said Chief Administrative Officer Lisa de Soto in an update to council. "Unfortunately and heartbreakingly, for Elevation Place at this time of year it will mean that many of our recreation service department staff will be laid off."

On Tuesday (Dec. 15), general manager of municipal services Sally Caudill provided an overview of the effect COVID-19 has had overall on recreation services. 

During the lockdown that began mid-March during the first state of provincial health emergency, Caudill said there were 81 layoffs in the recreation department, followed by another 23 layoffs between April 10 to June 6. Another 25 contracted fitness instructors were also laid off. 

At the time, administration was able to keep a number of staff employed to complete an extensive clean of the two recreation facilities and deal with memberships being put on hold, while several others were redeployed to help cover increased workloads. 

"We tried to use the closure as an opportunity ... to do a whole bunch of cleaning and maintenance," Caudill said. 

However, that strategy is not available to administration this time, as the work that kept some staff employed earlier this year has already been completed, resulting in the 100 staff being laid off this month. 

When the restrictions are lifted, either on Jan. 12 or if they are extended further, Caudill said that reopening these facilities will not happen overnight, but will take time to implement. That includes the time needed to recall staff and train them on any new guidelines that will be in place for reopening. 

"We know we will be a bit slower reopening than private businesses, but we are hopeful that the things we put in place in the spring will allow us to be more nimble," she said. 

As for the financial effect of the pandemic on recreation services, Caudill said revenues are down 39 per cent and expenses are down 26 per cent. In terms of cost recovery, Elevation Place was operating at 67 per cent in 2019, but was down to 33 per cent in 2020, which does not include the current shutdown. 

The Canmore Rec Centre saw cost recovery of 46 per cent in 2019, but only 26 per cent so far in 2020. Overall, cost recovery for recreation services for the municipality in 2020 is 31 per cent, while the target in the approved recreation services policy, approved this spring, is 60-70 per cent. 

"The impact of that shutdown and the second one, which we are still just analyzing, will hamper our ability to reach that policy target even with reducing staff expenses," Caudill said. 

As for other municipal facilities, there was no direction in the new restrictions for government office buildings. De Soto said the Civic Centre, pubic works building and firehall will be closed to the general public, with appointments for services available. 

Unless it is deemed necessary, she added the remainder of the Town's staff will continue to work from home. 

"We do not anticipate layoffs in any of our other areas," de Soto said. "People can work and be quite productive from home."

Mayor John Borrowman put forward a motion to support the measures taken by administration to adapt to the new restrictions. 

"The important thing for me is understanding that administration will continue to be nimble in responding to what is observed on the ground and finding ways to make it work well for Town staff," Borrowman said.

"It is important that we continue to recognize the work that Town staff are doing throughout all departments." 

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