Hundreds of COVID-19 cases within Winnipeg workforce causing Transit cancellations, WFPS redeployment

Hundreds of COVID-19 cases within the City of Winnipeg workforce are causing staffing issues, leading to some Transit cancellations and redeployment of some Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) units.

Jason Shaw, the manager of Winnipeg's Emergency Operations Centre, said as of Thursday there are 351 active cases of COVID-19 within the city workforce. He said this includes 76 cases within Winnipeg Transit and 85 cases within the WFPS.

"The City of Winnipeg is facing increasing staffing challenges due to COVID-19," Shaw said.

"It's strained; I'm not going to lie."

Shaw said right now, the city has not had any critical service failure in any department, and said the emergency operations centre's continuity plans are working. He said the city is working with the Province of Manitoba to secure rapid COVID-19 tests for critical staff.

He said Winnipeg Transit is using spare operators and overtime to cover the staff who are off due to COVID-19.

"Unfortunately, we have not been able to cover all shifts," he said, adding some Transit runs have been cancelled. He said transit riders need to check their schedules each time before they ride.

Shaw said as of Thursday morning three buses did not operate, which will mean a potentially longer wait between buses on affected routes, but added that changes daily.

Romeo Ignacio, the president of the Amalgamated Transit Union, said he is concerned this could make physical distancing more difficult on board.

“If we even have one less bus, especially for one of the busier ones, then that’s going to snowball,” said Ignacio.

The city said there should be enough room as it’s running at 94 per cent capacity with ridership levels between 50 and 60 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.

The WFPS told CTV News as of Wednesday that five per cent of its workforce has confirmed cases of COVID-19.

"The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service is strained right now, but it is stable," Shaw said.

"The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service has been able to backfill most shifts using overtime, and units with lower utilization rates are being redeployed to ensure the most minimal impacts possible on our emergency response times."

He said the WFPS is also diverting non-emergency calls to community paramedics.

"We will continue to be there for any resident in distress," he said, adding anyone who is in an emergency should call 911.

United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg (UFFW) President Alex Forrest said some of his members are picking up three extra shifts on days off.

"We are going through the most challenging of times, at a time we are fighting record fires in extreme cold,” he said.

Kyle Ross, president of the Manitoba Government and General Employees' Union, which represents paramedics, said paramedics were already running off their feet before the pandemic.

“Our paramedic resources have been stretched extremely thin,” said Ross. “Call volumes continue to rise, with paramedics burning out.” 

The news conference comes one day after Winnipeg Police declared a state of emergency due to multiple COVID-19 cases among employees. The service said Wednesday there were 90 active COVID-19 cases and 170 employees have booked sick time for leave related to COVID-19.

Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman said he supported Police Chief Danny Smyth's decision to declare a state of emergency within the police service. Bowman said he has declared a state of emergency within the City of Winnipeg before, and if required he will do it again, but he said the public service is not at that point right now.

"Our public service has available tools to manage staffing levels in other city services including within the Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service, but we will continue to watch and make decisions going forward as needed," Bowman said.

"Of course, critical services that a municipal government provides are particularly important especially when it comes to emergency services, and so far we've been able to manage as best we can in the current circumstances."

Bowman said Winnipeggers can help by limiting their contacts and getting vaccinated against COVID-19, including getting a booster shot when eligible.

"This is a way that Winnipeggers can ensure that they're helping mitigate impacts on critical services," Bowman said. "You may not need those services directly yourself, but others in our community will."

Shaw said at this point, there are no changes to the Leisure Guide and no other cancellations or reductions for other city services – but he said that could change.

"I'm going to knock on wood right now and hope that it doesn't get any worse," he said.