Multiple Parks Canada employees in the Northwest Territories said this week they had been warned their jobs may be lost as the federal agency embarks on cuts.
On Tuesday, Parks Canada told staff that 2,917 employees would receive “a letter informing them of their status.”
Most of those will be so-called “affected letters,” Parks Canada said, which mean someone’s position may be changing or discontinued. Receipt of a letter does not mean that person’s job is definitely being lost.
As an organizational update about the cuts was distributed to staff, three employees in the NWT told Cabin Radio they had either been called into meetings about the threat of redundancies or were aware of others who had received affected letters.
Parks Canada had 4,773 employees nationwide at the end of March, down slightly from 4,842 a year earlier. That number fluctuates – much of the agency’s work is seasonal and staffing increases each summer.
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In a statement to Cabin Radio, Parks Canada said it was “validating the numbers for the Northwest Territories” in terms of positions that may be affected.
There were 91 Parks Canada employees whose place of work was listed as the Northwest Territories as of March this year, the latest figure available.
Parks Canada runs its NWT operations through field units, each with a main office and, in several cases, small community offices. Fort Smith is home to the main office and visitor centre for Wood Buffalo National Park. There are also employees based in and around Fort Simpson, Inuvik and other communities.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada and its northern chapter, PSAC North, said no spokesperson was immediately available and did not provide comment. PSAC had already held meetings with Parks Canada workers in the North earlier this year, during a first round of possible job losses. At the time, the union called it a “challenging and uncertain time for members.”
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By email, a Parks Canada spokesperson said the federal government was working to ensure “spending is responsible, cost-effective and delivers results for Canadians.”
“Parks Canada has been working to modernize how it delivers programs and services to ensure they provide the greatest value to Canadians while supporting long-term sustainability,” the spokesperson stated.
“Over the coming months, Parks Canada will implement organizational changes to align with available funding, modernize operations, strengthen field-based decision-making, and ensure it remains well positioned to deliver on our mandate into the future.”
The spokesperson estimated that while 2,917 employees will receive letters, the job losses will be the equivalent of approximately 500 full-time positions.
“Receiving a letter does not necessarily mean an employee will lose their job. As the organization identifies areas of activities being stopped or reduced, some positions will remain as they are, some will change, and some will be eliminated,” the spokesperson wrote.
“Over the coming weeks, decisions will be made on all positions being assessed.”
