Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

Large-scale relief programs implemented by the federal government to deal with the economic fallout from COVID-19 have saved staff at the Archdiocese of Toronto offices and parishes from layoffs.

The archdiocese was set to implement emergency cost-containment measures to deal with the crippling economic effects of the crisis. Instructions had been sent to parishes and departments on March 27 regarding pending job losses and reduced wages for some staff. But that changed April 1 when Ottawa announced a program that will provide a 75 per cent subsidy to eligible employers to help pay employee wages for up to 12 weeks, retroactive to March 15.

“We have very positive news to share with everyone today,” said Stephanie Nargoz, director of human resources for the archdiocese in an April 2 memo to all parishes and chancery staff. “The Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy program will enable us to keep all of our employees and clergy on payroll at 100 per cent of their regular earnings until June 6, 2020.”

It’s “a very different place than we were in just a few days ago,” said Neil MacCarthy, director of public relations and communications for the archdiocese. “The emergency wage subsidy will definitely help in the short term.”

The archdiocese’s original plan proposed a combination of measures to deal with reduced finances, including remote working arrangements, temporary leaves, contract suspensions and some voluntary salary reductions. In some cases, these salary reductions — including the wages of priests — would have been substantial, said Nargoz. Staff will no longer be put on temporary leave and instructed to apply for Employment Insurance or the Canada Emergency Response Benefit for the time being. 

In her memo though, Nargoz said it’s basically a three-month “safety net” and things could change depending on how the crisis plays out.

“We still may need to consider implementing these measures in the future, but we now have a safety net to get us through April, May and the first week of June,” said Nargoz.

Independent contractors like church musicians will not be so lucky, and “it still makes sense to suspend all contracts,” though terms of written agreements must be honoured, said Nargoz.

Some workers had been informed of layoffs prior to the April 1 reprieve. Pastors and department heads have been instructed to contact those employees to inform them of the new situation. Meantime, the chancery office, churches and other offices not deemed by government authorities to be essential services remain closed, though staff are working remotely. 

Staff are being reminded to follow government directives issued to combat the spread of COVID-19 and to prioritize the health of themselves and their families.