(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Troy Gillard and Josh Hall

Public health restrictions

Some city staff work outdoor areas while indoor facilities are closed

Dec 18, 2020 | 4:01 PM

The City of Red Deer is finding a way to keep some of its Parks and Recreation staff working while indoor facilities are closed due to public health restrictions.

City Manager Allan Seabrooke says some of their full-time staff will be assigned to work at outdoor rinks, parks and trails as the City increases service levels to accommodate an expected rise in demand.

It was on Dec. 8 when Premier Jason Kenney announced that recreational facilities such as fitness centres, recreation centres, pools, spas, gyms, studios, camps, indoor rinks and arenas would close for four weeks as part of the province’s effort to stop the surge of COVID-19 cases hitting Alberta.

Seabrooke says they’re doing what they can to help staff affected by shutdowns for the second time this year.

“This is the worst possible thing that could have happened, at the worst time of the year, for a lot of our staff,” he lamented. “When the province made the announcement, we all understand why with the number of cases going up, but that doesn’t make it any easier. We certainly appreciate the staff and what they’ve been through. We will get them back and reopen as quickly as we can.”

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Seabrooke says some employees are being allowed to use vacation days and banked overtime to ensure they continue to be paid while facilities are closed.

“Obviously our casual employees will not receive any hours because there’s no programming. Some of our part-time hours will be cut back and we will have some temporary work interruptions for our full-time staff,” he added.