Manitoba Crown corporations pushed to cut overall staff by 8%

UPDATE: Manitoba Hydro clarified in a Nov. 1, 2019, email to CBC News that it has met its target staff reductions. "The Manitoba government is aware that we have already achieved our reduction targets and there is no indication that government will be seeking further reductions in staffing levels," a Hydro spokesperson said.

The Manitoba government has asked all Crown corporations to make further cuts to their overall staffing levels.

Crown corporations havealready surpassed the province's 2016 directive to cut overall management by 15 per cent.

Now, newmandate letters from Crown Services Minister Colleen Mayer ask the boardsof Manitoba Hydro, Manitoba Public Insurance and Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries to set a target of eight per cent reductions across all staff levels both managerial and non-managerial.

"This is a target that we expect Crowns to match or exceed, and we expect them to reach this target in a sustainable way through options such as attrition and retirement, if they have not already done so," said Mayer.

Even if Crown corporations have already met the target reductions through cutting their managerial staff, Mayer said she expects them to search for further opportunities for cuts.

"If those opportunities become available and their staffing needs will compliment that, then we expect them to go accordingly," she said.

Staff reductions in central government have already reached the targets of 15 per cent cuts in managerial staff and eight per cent overall.

Last November, the province said thatManitoba Hydro, Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corporation and Manitoba Public Insurancecombined eliminated 130 jobs over a two-year period, which is a 23 per cent reduction in the number of management positions.