COVID-19: Gatineau municipal employees and management join to lend a hand

Gatineau, May 4, 2020. – Given the extraordinary situation we are going through, Gatineau and the unions are calling on the sense of community and solidarity of municipal employees to lend a hand to some of the organizations at the forefront of the battle against the pandemic. This is an exceptional measure in response to an exceptional situation that is having repercussions for vulnerable groups.

Given the strain on human resources in the health care system and community organizations, Gatineau is drawing up a list of employees who would like to give a helping hand. This will lighten the load of the CISSSO and the organizations.

Quick facts

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To date, help is needed in the following areas: - CISSSO: recruitment administration, and helpers in long-term care facilities (CHSLD, including CHSLD Lionel-Émond); - Gîte Ami: kitchen help, housekeeping, warehouse operations, and intake worker; - Manne de l'Île: administrative staff, food and warehouse management, and housekeeping; and - Pop ta soupe: administrative staff, and help with meal and food distribution.

●	The human resource requirements may change according to the organizations' needs.

●	To ensure the continuity of municipal operations, only those employees who can be freed up from their current duties can volunteer.

●	During their deployment to these organizations, employees who volunteer will maintain their current salary.

●	Gatineau will take steps to ensure the protection of those employees. As well, municipal and union officials will do the necessary checks for the tasks the employees will be performing.

●	Since the start of the pandemic, Gatineau has been taking part in the crisis unit set up by the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de l'Outaouais (CISSSO).

●	Gatineau is also in constant communication with CISSSO in regard to the situation, and is supporting it in its efforts to help people in need.

Quotes

“We want to give employees the opportunity to help the organizations, and we are happy to be able to contribute,” indicated Syndicat des cols blancs de Gatineau President Geneviève Carrier.

“During this exceptional pandemic we are all living through, the Syndicat des cols bleus de Gatineau is fully in favour of having blue-collar workers lend a hand to our city's most needy. The region's community organizations must coordinate their responses to the increased pressure on food banks, last resort housing, psychological support and more. We believe that this is a responsibility we should all shoulder,” noted Syndicat des cols bleus de Gatineau President Denis Savard.

“We know that seniors and disabled people are more vulnerable to COVID 19, and that we are in a race against the clock. We hope this initiative will help the heroes in the health care and social services sector reach the finish line as winners,” emphasized Regroupement des professionnels de la Ville de Gatineau President Marie-Claude Provencher.

“I want to thank Ville de Gatineau, in particular Mr. Pedneaud-Jobin, for this initiative. We welcome this offer of help from the Mayor with open arms. Once again, we are showing that in the Outaouais, we stand together and never think twice about helping one another,” said CISSS de l'Outaouais President and CEO Josée Filion.

“The current context is unprecedented, and even though this pandemic is having repercussions on the entire population, the situation has become critical for some of the more vulnerable among us. So, we are calling on the community spirit of municipal employees by asking them to lend a hand to overburdened organizations. I want to thank all of the employees who will be stepping forward to take part in this collective effort, because it is together that we will make a difference,” declared Gatineau Mayor Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin.

Associated links

Government of Quebec

COVID-19 (Ville de Gatineau Web site)

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