The National Capital Commission announced Wednesday that it will eliminate 29 positions in its Ottawa office.

Most positions are in the NCC's marketing and promotion division and employees were advised of the downsizing on Wednesday afternoon.

Suzanne Kay, director of marketing since 2002, and communications director Kathryn Keyes, who started working at the commission in 2003, were laid off.

According to some staff, the atmosphere is gloomy at the NCC as employees are shaken by the layoffs and firings which occurred just days after the end of Winterlude.

The NCC, which manages significant property, park land and events like Winterlude in the Ottawa-Gatineau region, said the decision is not related to federal cuts and that programs would not be affected.

The organization continues an overall restructuring that began last fall that includes cutting its expenditures by $8 million over the next four years. The NCC's annual budget is approximately $100 million. The commission employs between 450 and 500 people.