Dozens of city employees called back to work in Charlottetown
Essential workers include staff inside and outside of City Hall
Upwards of 40 employees are back at work this week for the City of Charlottetown; in parks and on streets, cleaning up and repairing winter damage.
The pandemic has made it the day-to-day details a tricky business this spring.
"It's an evolving situation and it changes daily," saidPeter Kelly, the city's chief administrative officer. "We're trying to meet public expectations... but also do it safely."
Extra measuresinclude additionalcleaning of surfaces and ensuring workers are maintaining physical distancing.
Crews are travelling no more than one or two to a truck,and working alone to maintain a safe distance from each other,and the public. In recent days, crews could be seen sweeping winter grit from streets, hauling away waterfront debris from a recent storm surge, and repairing damaged fences in Victoria Park.
Union leaders say seasonal workers are relieved to be back on the job even with social distancing rules.
"No one wants to be sitting home,"said PaulineGass, president of local 830 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees. "We're all pretty good at keeping our six feet."
Additional workers have been called back to work inside city hall, too. Finance, payroll and IT staff are all deemed essential.
"We don't have any dispute with what they're deeming essential right now,"said Karen Jackson, president of the Union of Public Sector Employees. "They're doing itphased in, having people return to work."
Other essential workers, such as staff at the city's pollution control plant, have been working throughout the pandemic.
In Summerside, city officials are working on plans to bring more of their workers back.
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