Employees at Barrie City Hall have not been immune to the impact of the pandemic. But as more restrictions are lifted, many municipal employees have returned to work.
On April 6, the city announced it was laying off hundreds of workers due to COVID-related restrictions to municipal services. As more and more services have been restored and city buildings have reopened with safety precautions in place, staff are being brought back.
Anne Marie Langlois, the city's director of human resources, told BarrieToday that many city workers continued to provide both essential and non-essential services throughout the pandemic.
“Many city staff continued to work on site to ensure residents received transit options, waste collection, water and wastewater services, parks maintenance and other essential services over the past five months,” said Langlois.
“At the beginning of the pandemic, we quickly identified opportunities for alternate service delivery, such as online options to serve residents, customer service via phone and email, and setting up working remotely for some of our staff," she added.
There were approximately 600 city staffers who were temporarily laid off or redeployed due to facility closures and event cancellations.
As of Tuesday, Sept. 8, Service Barrie had opened to the public for walk-in services at city hall for most services and recreation centres are also expanding their offerings.
“A number of full-time employees who had been laid off, placed on leave and/or redeployed are now returning to their home positions," Langlois said. "Decisions to return employees are driven by service demands and provincial allowances tied to the re-opening of the province.
“Some permanent and non-permanent staff remain on leave and/or layoff based on the activity in those areas of the business that have yet to ramp up," she noted.
Allandale Recreation Centre, Holly Community Centre and East Bayfield Community Centre are open for use of the pool and fitness facilities only. Some fitness classes are also offered.
Barrie’s landfill has been open since May and also added a recycling depot for easier access.
Transit services have expanded gradually over the last few months.
Langlois said that many city facilities beyond this remain closed to the public and a number of employees continue to work remotely to ensure safety of the public and staff, saying “this decision is in keeping with guidance provided by the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit.”
For more information about what city services are open, head to the City of Barrie website by clicking here.
