COVID-19 in Sask.: City of Saskatoon announces casual worker layoffs

Lifeguards and cashiers are among the 126 casual workers being laid off by the City of Saskatoon in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

City manager Jeff Jorgenson said in a statement Monday morning it was a difficult decision.

"From our perspective, layoffs are an important step to enable staff, without any scheduled hours, the ability to access options such as employment insurance benefits as soon as possible," said Jorgenson.

"It gives the people affected some certainty as opposed to waiting indefinitely for us to be able to return to normal operations."

Jorgenson said there are no plans for significant layoffs of permanent staff in the coming weeks.

Jorgenson said citizens need city work to continue in the core services, adding that the city administration will keep as many services going as possible.

"Restarting our economy on the other side of this pandemic will be paramount, and the city will play a major role in the coming months," he said.