Ontario Northland has issued temprary layoff notices to some of its staff.
"As a result of the reduction of work due to COVID-19, Ontario Northland has issued temporary layoff notices to a limited number of employees.," spokeswoman Rebecca McGlynn tells CKAT News. "This impacts 25 employees in North Bay and Cochrane - who work at The Cochrane Station Inn, on the dining car of the Polar Bear Express passenger train, and in the areas of Rail Mechanical and Remanufacturing and Repair.
"As operational needs change and the situation evolves, Ontario Northland will call employees back when work is available. In the meantime, impacted employees are being provided access to counselling and information on wage subsidy programs.
"For the past six weeks, Ontario Northland has supported a number of employees without work due to service reductions with full compensation and reassignments. The company has proposed an alternative to layoffs to Unifor Local 103 that includes wage guarantees, benefits and pension contributions. We hope an agreement can be reached shortly."
