The District of Saanich and Saanich Police Department are hosting a job fair at the WorkBC Centre on Borden Street Jan. 26.
The job fair, in partnership with WorkBC, will include representatives from the district’s various departments, including engineering and public works, parks, fire, recreation/community services, building maintenance, bylaw and licensing, finance, IT, planning and development, administrative support and the Saanich Police Department.
The municipality usually hires up to 200 people a year, but human resources manager Samuel Dubois said there have been challenges in filling vacancies in some areas due to a labour shortage.
He said significant changes to the pension plan led to a number of people retiring, while others have left for other jobs outside the municipality or returned to school.
“COVID made the vacancies worse, for sure, but it is also because the municipality is structurally growing and we need more employees,” he said.
An example is the return of summer camps — demand is rising, and the district is scrambling to find enough personnel to staff them, he said.
Dubois said working for local government service can be rewarding, “because the programs and services we provide and manage make such a positive difference to residents’ quality of life.”
The Saanich Police Department will also be on hand.
“We are always actively recruiting,” said spokesman Const. Markus Anastasiades. “The job fair is an opportunity for us to connect with prospective recruits.”
He said the department hires 10 to 12 new recruits on average every year, along with six to eight experienced officers. In the past, it has recruited officers from elsewhere in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.
The department is also looking for people to fill its reserve constable training classes. Reserve constables are uniformed, trained volunteers who participate in non-enforcement-related community policing and crime-prevention activities. They can accompany police officers in a ride-along capacity.
Representatives from each department will be on hand to help answer questions on current and future opportunities. Job seekers are encouraged to bring copies of their resumes to review with hiring managers.
Between them, the municipality and Saanich Police Department employ more than 1,600 staff in a broad variety of areas and levels.
The job fair takes place between 3 and 6 p.m. Jan. 26 at the WorkBC Centre, 201-3962 Borden St.
• For more information on careers at Saanich, go to saanich.ca/EN/main/local-government/careers-at-saanich. For details about recruitment for the Saanich Police Department, go to joinspd.ca/apply-now.
