The City of Winnipeg has put a hiring freeze in place to make up for a $9.5 million shortfall in its 2017 budget. The culprit? Heavy snowfall in December.
Nearly every city department has been given a savings target to reduce costs.
The hiring freeze doesn’t apply to police officers, firefighters, paramedics, or transit operators. If a department deems a position critical, a corporate review committee will determine if that position should be filled.
The city has also restricted the use of external consultants, CAO approval on all conference travel, and limits on other discretionary spending.
A review is underway to determine if 2017 cash to capital projects could be postponed or reprioritized.
The city’s CAO will implement a 0% wage increase this year for all senior management and staff who are not members of a collective bargaining unit.
