For organisations that rely on ticket revenue from live events, the COVID-19 pandemic has meant an abrupt halt to operations, and the challenge of maintaining staff and facilities with no plan of when they can reopen.
Organisations with large monthly expenditures, such as the Banff Centre and Royal Ontario Museum are particularly under threat, as ongoing costs drive their operating margins into the red.
The ROM was forced to close on March 14, the beginning of one of their busiest times of the year.
Keeping the lights on amid corona-crisis
The Globe & Mail has revealed that the ROM is in talks with the Ontario Public Service Employees Union to clear the way for 323 layoffs of full and part-time employees.
ROM director Josh Basseches has said they are looking to spread the cutbacks across all museum operations while maintaining high-priority projects on a reduced workload and salaries. The pay cuts will amount to 80 percent of regular wages on a four-day workweek.
CERB benefit relief
“Employees whose work can be temporarily deferred will be placed on temporary declared emergency leave to access government programs, including the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB),” Basseches told the Globe.
Basseches confirmed they plan to recall all staff and will reopen as soon as it is safe to do so.
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