Dustin Cook
EDMONTON JOURNAL
01/11/2021
Animal care and control service change
Edmonton’s Animal Care and Control Centre continues to run at a reduced capacity in suspending the intake of lost or stray animals considered to be healthy. Operations were reduced on Jan. 1 initially as a result of three illnesses within the small staff of trained veterinarians. But Driscoll said the intake suspension will continue indefinitely due to the rise of the Omicron variant and potential future impacts on staff.
Animals that are sick, injured or in distress are still being accepted by appointment. The city updated its criteria to note that animals found outside in the cold in temperatures below -20 C with the windchill qualify as in distress and will be accepted. Residents who find an animal in these conditions is asked to call 311.
Edmonton's transit service has about 28 active cases of COVID-19 and other drivers off in isolation, which the union said is resulting in some bus trips being missed.
Edmonton’s transit service is facing staffing challenges amid the spread of COVID-19 with 28 active cases currently among drivers.
The city’s transit union says absences as a result of illness or fatigue have forced some trips to be missed despite attempts to have shifts covered through overtime hours in order to maintain service levels. The city has about 1,700 transit operators.
In the latest count Friday, there are about 130 active cases of the virus across the City of Edmonton. Updated numbers on city employees in isolation as a result of the virus weren’t available Tuesday. The city reported 200 cases last week.
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 569 president Steve Bradshaw said there are many overtime requests in the absence of drivers and they haven’t all been met, meaning some trips have been missed. If cases start to rise, Bradshaw said he expects the city would need to make targeted service changes and shuffle around operators to ensure main routes and school specials continue to be covered.
“It’s all hands on deck right now and they’re not filling all those bus seats and the possibility of trimming the service is very much there,” Bradshaw said in an interview with Postmedia Tuesday. “They’ve got overtime requests out at full throttle and even at full throttle, they’re not even able to get enough to get all the work done.”
To mitigate impacts to services as much as possible, spokesman Geoffrey Driscoll said the city is working to adjust shift schedules and allocate overtime hours where possible.
“The City of Edmonton continues to assess its ability to deliver core programs and services and make adjustments as necessary, including in Edmonton Transit Service,” Driscoll said in a statement to Postmedia. “The safety of Edmontonians and those who work for the city is critical. We will continue to make timely and informed decisions on priority services and workplace protocols based on the information we have available.”
Edmonton’s fire department is also facing staffing shortages amid a COVID-19 outbreak that started at four fire stations across the city. As of Friday, the city reported 40 active cases among firefighters and an additional 111 employees in isolation. There was no update available from the city Tuesday, but a postponement in routine fire inspections is expected to last until Friday.
In the latest data provided from the Edmonton Police Service last Wednesday, services haven’t been impacted but 100 employees had COVID-19, including 77 sworn members, and a total of 194 employees were in isolation. Another update is expected Wednesday.
Edmonton’s transit service is facing staffing challenges amid the spread of COVID-19 with 28 active cases currently among drivers.
The city’s transit union says absences as a result of illness or fatigue have forced some trips to be missed despite attempts to have shifts covered through overtime hours in order to maintain service levels. The city has about 1,700 transit operators.
In the latest count Friday, there are about 130 active cases of the virus across the City of Edmonton. Updated numbers on city employees in isolation as a result of the virus weren’t available Tuesday. The city reported 200 cases last week.
Amalgamated Transit Union Local 569 president Steve Bradshaw said there are many overtime requests in the absence of drivers and they haven’t all been met, meaning some trips have been missed. If cases start to rise, Bradshaw said he expects the city would need to make targeted service changes and shuffle around operators to ensure main routes and school specials continue to be covered.
“It’s all hands on deck right now and they’re not filling all those bus seats and the possibility of trimming the service is very much there,” Bradshaw said in an interview with Postmedia Tuesday. “They’ve got overtime requests out at full throttle and even at full throttle, they’re not even able to get enough to get all the work done.”
To mitigate impacts to services as much as possible, spokesman Geoffrey Driscoll said the city is working to adjust shift schedules and allocate overtime hours where possible.
“The City of Edmonton continues to assess its ability to deliver core programs and services and make adjustments as necessary, including in Edmonton Transit Service,” Driscoll said in a statement to Postmedia. “The safety of Edmontonians and those who work for the city is critical. We will continue to make timely and informed decisions on priority services and workplace protocols based on the information we have available.”
Edmonton’s fire department is also facing staffing shortages amid a COVID-19 outbreak that started at four fire stations across the city. As of Friday, the city reported 40 active cases among firefighters and an additional 111 employees in isolation. There was no update available from the city Tuesday, but a postponement in routine fire inspections is expected to last until Friday.
In the latest data provided from the Edmonton Police Service last Wednesday, services haven’t been impacted but 100 employees had COVID-19, including 77 sworn members, and a total of 194 employees were in isolation. Another update is expected Wednesday.
Animal care and control service change
Edmonton’s Animal Care and Control Centre continues to run at a reduced capacity in suspending the intake of lost or stray animals considered to be healthy. Operations were reduced on Jan. 1 initially as a result of three illnesses within the small staff of trained veterinarians. But Driscoll said the intake suspension will continue indefinitely due to the rise of the Omicron variant and potential future impacts on staff.
Animals that are sick, injured or in distress are still being accepted by appointment. The city updated its criteria to note that animals found outside in the cold in temperatures below -20 C with the windchill qualify as in distress and will be accepted. Residents who find an animal in these conditions is asked to call 311.
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