National Gallery cuts 27 positions
Director of the National Gallery of Canada Marc Mayer in the gallery halls in Ottawa in December, 2008. For The Globe and Mail

Staff laid off as gallery faces declining revenue, rising costs

Globe and Mail Update Published on Wednesday, Mar. 24, 2010 7:12PM EDT

Last updated on Wednesday, Mar. 24, 2010 8:24PM EDT

The National Gallery of Canada has eliminated 27 positions as part of a sweeping reorganization, leaving 18 people out of a job.

Director Marc Mayer confirmed the cuts, a measure he felt was necessary as the Gallery faces a decline in revenue from tourism and rising costs. Some employees were shifted to new positions, while other jobs that were vacant or staffed by retiring workers were eliminated. But others were laid off in an effort to find “savings,” as Mayer shuffled the deck after a little more than a year at the helm.

“We've redeployed as many people as we could,” Mayer said.

Educational programming and the National Gallery of Canada Foundation are taking the brunt of the cuts. But while six jobs were eliminated at the Foundation, three of those employees have been moved to similar positions at the Gallery. Mayer said the reorganization will “simplify the working experience” of the remaining 250 employees.

A spokesman for the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), the union representing some of the laid-off staff, said officials are “concerned,” but are still exploring “the ramifications” of the move.

The Gallery warned last spring that layoffs might be necessary as it faced projected attendance and revenue shortfalls. Mayer said the Gallery is planning on spending about $5-million this year on special exhibitions, compared to an average of about $6.5-million in recent years.

“It’s not as dire as people might think,” Mayer said. “Yes, times are tough but what we did yesterday was really something we’ve needed to do for a while now.”

The Gallery’s annual budget is approximately $60-million, $50-million of which is funded by the federal government.