Enmax layoffs not unreasonable, councillor on city-owned utility's board says

A city councillor says he understands why Enmax has been forced to lay off some of its staff.

The city-owned utility announced Wednesday it will trim three per cent of its management and professional staff.That's on top of a 16-per cent reduction in senior management positions announced earlier this year.

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Coun. Peter Demong, who is a city council representative on the Enmax board of directors, says the utility operates in a competitive business environment.

"Considering the state of the economy in Alberta, considering the state of energy prices in Calgary and Alberta as well, Enmax is going to do what it can to basically keep the prices that it offers to its customers as low as possible," he said.

"You're seeing it happen with most of the major corporations across Alberta, so why would Enmax be any different?"

Enmax says no front-line customer service or field staff are affected by the latest cuts.