Winnipeg Transit, WFPS facing staffing challenges due to COVID-19 cases

Hundreds of COVID-19 cases within the City of Winnipeg workforce are causing staffing issues, leading to some Transit cancellations and redeployment of some Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) units.

Hundreds of COVID-19 cases within the City of Winnipeg workforce are causing staffing issues, leading to some Transit cancellations and redeployment of some Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service (WFPS) units.

Jason Shaw, the manager of Winnipeg's Emergency Operations Centre, said as of Thursday there are 351 active cases of COVID-19 within the city workforce. He said this includes 76 cases within Winnipeg Transit and 85 cases within the WFPS.

"The City of Winnipeg is facing increasing staffing challenges due to COVID-19," Shaw said.

As a result, Winnipeg Transit is using spare operators and overtime to cover the staff who are off due to COVID-19.

"Unfortunately, we have not been able to cover all shifts," he said, adding some Transit runs have been cancelled. He said transit riders need to check their schedules each time before they ride.

Shaw said as of Thursday morning there were three buses that did not operate, but he said that changes on a daily basis. He said these cancellations will mean a potentially longer wait between buses on affected routes.

The WFPS told CTV News as of Wednesday that five per cent of its workforce has confirmed cases of COVID-19.