March 24, 2020 | Red Deer, AB – As a community minded non profit organization our community, guests, staff and volunteers are of utmost importance to us. To help prevent the spread of COVID-19, effective immediately there will be no public access to Westerner Park. However, staff and security will remain on-site to support the ongoing management of our facilities. Our staff will also be working remotely until further notice.
Thank you for your patience and understanding during these extraordinary times.
Alberta Health Services encourages all Albertans to visit alberta.ca/COVID19 for the latest information, guidance and resources.
March 20, 2020 | Red Deer, AB – Westerner Park announced today that they will be temporarily laying off over 90% of their overall workforce as an unprecedented measure during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This was an incredibly difficult decision to make,” says Mike Olesen, Chief Executive Officer, Westerner Park. “We know these measures are necessary but still deeply impact our staff and their families. They have been very understanding, and we will work to support them in any way we can.”
Over 50 events have been postponed between March 10th and April 24th in accordance with the Government of Alberta recommendations to prevent the spread of the virus. Westerner Park speculates events after April 25th will also be affected. However, at this time the organization remains committed to being flexible over the days and weeks to come should the situation improve.
With no revenue currently coming into the non-profit organization, the temporary reduction was an important financial decision. Westerner Park hopes that by taking these measures now, they can not only mitigate the spread of COVID-19 but also ensure the long term viability for the organization.
Westerner Park is monitoring this rapidly evolving situation and is working closely on the recommendations from the Government of Alberta and with the oversight from the City of Red Deer. Olesen states, “We are working with the City as strong supporters of our organization, as well as cooperating with them for the continued financial oversight and control of our operations.”
- 30 -