Pursuit has announced plans to return hundreds of its staff to its payroll thanks to the federal government鈥檚 Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS).
Pursuit temporarily suspended operations at its Alberta and British Columbia attractions, hotels and culinary experiences in March to support the public health response to COVID-19, as travel restrictions and social distancing measures were initiated.
More than 80 per cent of Pursuit staff received temporary layoff notices between March 13 and April 10 in response to the closure of operations in support of local health authorities fighting the global pandemic.
Dave McKenna, president of the Banff Jasper Collection by Pursuit, said: 鈥淎s the impact of the global pandemic became clearer in Canada, we took strong measures to ensure the safety of our guests, staff and communities as a key member of Canada鈥檚 tourism industry. This included the difficult decision to temporarily layoff team members across the organization.
鈥淭oday we are thrilled to announce that under the federal government鈥檚 new CEWS program, we are able to return 357 members of our team to payroll.鈥�
The new federal CEWS program will enable Pursuit to return 357 Canadian team members to work from temporary layoffs - 119 of those are in Jasper.
This includes staff across all disciplines including marketing, people and culture, sales and IT, in addition to front-line staff who will work in modified positions until operations reopen.
Those remaining on temporary layoff will continue to receive access to health benefits, employee assistance and additional wellness programs.
Pursuit staff will return to work as a direct result of the CEWS program starting April 24 through June 6. The majority of returning staff are based in Banff, Jasper, Canmore and Vancouver and will work remotely until a return to operations as safety allows.
CEWS provides businesses with a 75 per cent wage subsidy, capped at $58,700 annually, for employees who were laid off as a result of COVID-19.
David Barry, president of Pursuit, said: 鈥淭hroughout the duration of this global health crisis our team has shown outstanding understanding, compassion and solidarity across the organization. From implementing volunteer-driven community food programs to ensuring our staff have access to development training and subsidized housing when needed, we will continue to do everything we can to move ahead as a team.鈥�
