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Vancouver lays off some staff and hires others

February 16th, 2010 · 3 Comments

I know it’s hard to pay attention to this kind of thing when our whole city is in major uproar mode and 800 staff are currently enjoying the sunshine out at various Olympics sites, but …

Interesting to note that hiring seems to have picked up at the hall. There are currently 19 positions posted, including an assistant  planning director (a position that was posted before, then didn’t get filled when the candidate offered the position declined to move here after all, then was closed because of the hiring freeze), a landscape architect, another assistant planning director for community services, several business analysts, a property negotiator, a superintendent for golf services and … I could go on but you can read it for yourself here.

This is all while the city has given notices of potential layoffs to 42 union staff and two managers.

“It’s surprising how many positions have been posted,” is the comment I got from CUPE 15 president Paul Faoro, as he’s been working to try to mitigate the impacts of those 42 lost positions, including all the recreation programmers at community centres. “The floodgates opened just in the last week. And some of the positions they are filling for, you have to scratch your head.”

All job postings are open to March 3, btw, since no one has any time right at the moment to cope with them.

Categories: City Hall Talk

  • gmgw

    So does this mean Henny Penny’s hiring freeze is at last officially over? Be nice if she t0ld City staff.
    gmgw

  • Rachel

    I heard a number of the posted positions were stuck in back log because of the Games prep.

  • Urbanismo

    Well, actually Frances: no problem.

    The hoopla, hoopla, hoopla doesn’t stimulate my olfactory glands . . . or whatever fleshy part of my colonic tubing the big swizz corporation is trying to corrupt . . . at all.

    Those over paid v-pops, on telly, rapping trochees, for all the bad, probably justified, off shore press our inconvenient, yet perfectly predictable, El Niño is garnering, dear mother Mary, at those bonuses they shudda known!

    To say nothing of insensitive B$ SECURITY and fences . . .

    Ergo I have time on my hands . . .

    Sin embargo, I am moderately interested in the goings on at Thu Hall: specifically, the planning department.

    Now, in my dotage, I am free to ladle out gratuitous advice without consequences to my next appearance at whatever board thinqz my planz need vetting: to wit . . .

    Despite nineteen “opportunities” coming on steam, or as Rachel points out, back logged . . . I hope the “lady who should be delivering babies” doesn’t go on a sanctimonious “Joshua at Ai” type blood bath in order to errrrr . . . balance the budget in atonement for OV!

    A lot of planistas will be worrying though: DON’T. THERE IS STILL LIFE IN PLANNING . . .

    This is a wonderful opportunity to teach planistas planning: all the way from the guy who “deigns to blog” to the lowly assistant planner A.

    So . . .

    First do no harm: retire SCARP! Keep Maged. (retire that Mickey-Mouse thingie at SFU) Keep all planistas on payroll and busy. Re-educate them in the art of planning.

    Dispense with militaristic organization: hierarchical pecking order, planner l. ll. lll: planning approval officer! Report!

    Set up some arrangement between the hall and ECCAD to start the ball rolling.

    The art of planning involves some paper work, of course: the less the better. Teach planners how to draw!

    Essentially the genré planner is a creative artist whose palette encompasses all the weird nooks and crannies that make a healthy city livable: yunno lots people making lots of money: digs for everyone: of textures, colours, sunlight, shadows: low buildings and tall: of grassy plots to get your bum wet on a sunny day and pavements to graze your knee caps: connections, tight, wide, big places and little ‘uns.

    Be kind to the neigbours who have big mouths, big egos but who still care . . . and yes Mr. Big-Time developer all that’ll put lotsa money in your pocket too!

    Learn all about that and keep off the phone and out of the office as much as possible . . .

    I know one planner, up at the hall, whose very valuable creative talents and experience are under used and unappreciated in the current seignioré.

    After the hoopla, hoopla, hoopla . . . no more bull shit . . .