Phoenix payroll problems could result in jobs for Charlottetown

Some government employees in Charlottetown will be tasked with helping to get the much-maligned Phoenix payroll system back on track.

Some of the employees will be reassigned from Veterans Affairs Canada offices on the Island, but Public Services and Procurement Canada will also hire an additional 300 employees.

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Charlottetown MP Sean Casey expects some of the new employees will be located in Charlottetown.

"I do expect that there will be jobs, other than the 30 [Department of Veterans Affairs] jobs, but I don't know how many," Casey said.

Plagued with problems

There has been no announcement on where the employees will work, but Casey speculated it may be in either the Daniel J. MacDonald Building or Jean Canfield Building.

"It's logical to expect it will be one or the other," he said.

The Phoenix payroll system, which is used to pay many civil servants, has been plagued with problems since it was introduced by the Harper Conservatives. Many civil servants miss their pay for months at a time or receive incorrect pay.

The problems and frustrations have continued under the Trudeau Liberals.

'Completely unacceptable'

Casey said the situation with the Phoenix payroll system is "completely unacceptable," but the system is getting better.

"There are still issues, there's no question about that," he said.

"I can tell you that the volume of calls has certainly declined."

Three other communities Miramichi and Moncton, N.B., and Kirkland Lake, Ont. are also in the mix for the new jobs. Applications for the jobs close Friday at midnight.

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