Statement Regarding Staffing from Oxford County CAO Peter Crockett

Thursday, 9 April 2020 15:00

Oxford County has not laid off any staff because of the COVID-19 pandemic at this time. The article includes a statement and the full interview with CAO Peter Crockett.

OXFORD COUNTY - Oxford County has not laid off any staff because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

CAO for the County Peter Crockett issued the following statement on the matter.

"Regarding staffing, Oxford County has advised its planned student workforce, with the exception of long-term care students, that we are delaying their planned start for the time being.

The safety of our staff and our community is paramount. For this reason, we have taken steps to adjust our municipal service delivery in a manner that protects our staff and our community while maintaining the supports and critical service delivery our residents rely on, for instance, by serving people through telephone, email and pre-booked appointments, and equipping staff to work from home where it is possible.

To ensure the viability of our operations throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we are also developing redeployment strategies to support areas within our workforce that may experience the absenteeism that can result should the virus enter our workforce. This is particularly relevant for those who support and care for our vulnerable populations, such as our long term care residents and residents across Oxford who are in need of emergency Paramedic Services, as well as employees in Public Works who ensure our infrastructure is safe, in good working order and compliant with the governing regulations.

It is important to note that, as an upper-tier municipality, we do not provide parks and recreation services, which are areas other municipalities may be looking at for lay-offs."

Crockett did say there is always the potential for layoffs however they intend to keep all of their services going during the pandemic. You can listen to his entire interview below.