Parks Canada job changes hit 125 northern staff

Parks Canada says 125 of its 284 employees in the Northwest Territories and the Yukon are affected by a federal workforce adjustment, leaving northern communities bracing for the loss of people who anchor local life.

The agency told CBC News that 67 of its 147 staff in the N.W.T. and 58 of its 137 staff in the Yukon have been affected, about 45 per cent of its workforce in the two territories. Details for Nunavut had not been released.

Parks Canada said receiving a letter does not mean a worker will lose their job. Some positions will stay as they are, some will change and others will be eliminated. Final decisions are expected in the coming weeks, according to Cabin Radio.

Dana Fergusson, the mayor of Fort Smith, N.W.T., said any job loss in the town of about 2,500 people will be felt deeply. Fort Smith sits near Wood Buffalo National Park.

“They’re the volunteers at the minor hockey rink, or the curling lounge, or taking your kids to do bake sales on the weekend,” Fergusson said.

She also worried about how cuts could affect the protection of the park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Josée-Anne Spirito, the regional executive vice-president of PSAC North, which represents Parks Canada workers in the N.W.T., called the changes part of a “reckless, ongoing plan to slash critical public services.” She said even the smallest cuts are felt deeply in the territory.

The restructuring follows the federal government’s comprehensive expenditure review, which requires Parks Canada to absorb nearly $145 million in budget reductions over three years. Some programs will be scaled back or discontinued. The agency expects to eliminate the equivalent of 500 full-time jobs across the country, and just under 3,000 employees nationwide have received letters. We reported on the national numbers earlier this week.

The cuts come as federal workers face a separate fight over pay, with the union setting strike votes for 120,000 federal employees.

Sources: CBC News, Cabin Radio.

If you find reporting like this useful, consider supporting Canada News Media, an independent Canadian newsroom with no corporate parent.