Two senior managers at the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen have been let go as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Due to the long-term economic impact of COVID-19, the regional district has flattened our organizational structure by eliminating two general manager positions,” said Bill Newell, chief administrative officer of the regional district.
The two positions are in public works and development services.
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In addition, the regional district department managers are reviewing their 2020 business plans to determine if there are positions or projects affected by the pandemic that may require a short-term adjustment.
A report is expected for the next regional district meeting on April 16.
“Currently, we’re focussing our attention on the provision of essential services to our ratepayers, meeting operational demand, and supporting our staff through difficult times,” Newell said. “We’re meeting regularly with our six member municipalities, sharing information as we work through uncharted territory, and making sure we get consistent messaging out to our mutual constituents to reduce confusion. The RDOS and our six member municipalities are each very different organizations, coming from different starting points and our response to COVID-19 will evidence that.”
However, despite the cut in the development services department, new applications will still be processed at the regional district level.
The regional district provides services to communities and rural areas from Summerland to the U.S. border and from areas east of Naramata to rural areas west of Princeton. There are more than 83,000 people in an area of 10,412 square kilometres.
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