The Edmonton Catholic School Board says, as a result of funding cuts made by Alberta Education during the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic, it is temporarily laying off 708 employees.
Staff were informed of the change on Thursday and the layoffs come into effect in two weeks, on April 30. “On March 28, the provincial government announced funding cuts and divisions were asked to layoff educational assistants, replacement staff and other staff who are deemed non-essential while students are out of school,” the board’s statement read.
The funding cut from Alberta Education meant a $5.7 million loss for Edmonton Catholic Schools. The vast majority of the employees are part of Unifor, including 479 educational assistants.