Toronto backtracks on return-to-office plans for city employees as Omicron spreads its wings
City of Toronto council members met for a closed session Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2018. (Paula Beaudin/Star Vancouver) City of Toronto council members met for a closed session Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2018. (Paula Beaudin/Star Vancouver) Photo: Paula Beaudin Photo: Paula Beaudin Image 1 of / 17 Caption Close Toronto backtracks on return-to-office plans for city employees as Omicron spreads its wings 1 / 17 Back to Gallery
The backroom deal that has been going on behind closed doors for the last month or more has all but officially ended in the city of Toronto’s municipal affairs department.
Councilors were told on Wednesday to expect a document that will explain how the City of Toronto will deal with the employees that have been laid off.
That document could be delivered to city staff this winter, possibly in October, when city council is scheduled to hold another work session.
In the interim, however, city manager Jennifer Keesmaat is taking steps to create a new structure that will have a new chief executive and chief operating officer.
Among the people who were involved in the talks about the restructuring was Omicron Data Inc., a company owned by a group of private investors with offices in Canada and the U.S.
OPIC to keep data on residents, but be a non-profit
The company bought a majority ownership interest in the Omicron data-sharing infrastructure in fall 2016. The arrangement allowed Omicron to acquire, aggregate and analyze data from residents of cities and other public entities around the world, according to the company.
OPIC will get to keep the data but run it as Omicron’s non-profit.
In order to obtain its private financial support, the company was required to make “significant” operational changes to the Omicron data-sharing infrastructure in a “commercially reasonable manner,” according to a company announcement.
OPIC will continue its work as an independent business unit within Omicron, according to a news release on Thursday, and will use the Omicron name and brand.
OPIC will be owned by a group of private investors, but will remain an independent entity. That change,
