Staffing reductions within the Westlock Foundation are not as drastic as initially reported.
Sturgeon Foundation executive director Dennis Magnusson, whose organization now manages the Westlock Foundation’s two lodges, clarified his comments from two weeks ago when he said 27 staff members had been handed lay-off notices, explaining 27 staff members were affected by the layoffs, but not all of them were now out of work.
“Twenty-seven people received a notice, and some of it was for change,” he said. “But not 27 people lost their jobs. Thirteen people were on the layoff, and they don’t have a job.”
Three people will see their hours increase due to schedules being restructured, he added, while 11 will see their hours cut.
The 13 people who lost their jobs remain in line to get their jobs back should the residency level within the Pembina and Smithfield lodges increase, Magnusson said.
While the staffing reductions are not as severe as they had initially sounded, he said it’s still unfortunate they had to happen.
“Nobody’s pleased with this,” Magnusson said. “We’re not pleased that we have to do this ourselves. But I think we’ve reached a fairly good understanding with the union about these matters.”
On Jan. 30, the Westlock Foundation held an open house at the Pembina Lodge.
Magnusson explained the purpose of the open house was twofold — to show off the new facility, and hopefully entice some people to move in to fill one of the 45 vacant rooms.
“We have a lot of vacancies,” he said. “We’re hoping to create an awareness of what facilities are out there.”
At least 60 people came to the lodge for a tour, he said, and many had good things to say about what they saw.
“My staff tell me there were a lot of positive comments and interest in the facility,” he said.
Resident services manager Nancy Sadoway led one of the tours as it visited one of the eight life lease units, a regular suite and a barrier-free suite.
Sadoway said there are four life lease units still available; two have already been purchased and two are currently being rented out.
At the end of the tour, she recounted the variety of service levels available in the lodge, explaining how independent seniors can be catered to in life lease units, while those needing more assistance have access to more typical seniors residence rooms.
“We’ve got something for everyone,” she said, adding she encourages people to move in while they can still enjoy it, because if they wait too long and need more assistance than is available at Pembina, they’ll likely end up in Smithfield.
