New Brunswick mayors worry about impact of possible Parks Canada cuts

Parks Canada plans to reduce its workforce by about 500 full-time equivalent jobs and some of those cuts could be here in New Brunswick. A statement from Parks Canada says that across the country about 3,000 workers have received a letter that says their position could be impacted by what it calls workplace adjustment. New Brunswick has 221 employees and 167 received that letter. That's 75% of Parks Canada employees here. The union that represents Parks Canada employees in the Atlantic region said that some of their members received the letter just five minutes before their last shift of the season ended. The statement from Parks Canada says receiving a letter does not necessarily mean an employee will lose their job and that as the organization identifies areas of activities being stopped or reduced, Some positions will remain the same as they are, some will change, and some will be eliminated. Let's be honest, these folks have worked all summer, and these aren't just summer students we're talking about. These are folks that have made careers working in these parks, maintaining trails, maintaining buildings, maintaining the historic sites that are so important to our heritage and our history. Fundy Albert Mayor Jim Campbell says he's concerned about possible job losses in neighbouring Fundy National Park. Any loss of employment is bad for our region. There's young families, there's people with young families that are there that will be affected. There's not a lot of other employment in Fundy Albert, especially in the Alma area, other than seasonal work with tourism and some in the fisheries. And the concern is the same for Five Rivers Mayor Kevin Scully, whose community sits near Kouchibouguac National Park. Every job matters here, and it does have an impact on the area. And if you're looking especially at the parks, with the tourism, that's a huge draw to the Kent region, and we can't afford to lose those tourists. dollars I guess to put it and as a carryover of course once once they're through with their day they often travel through our little communities here. Parks Canada says that in the coming weeks it will decide which positions are impacted.