Canada moves to 2% GDP end of FY25/26 - PMMC

[Halifax Tar]

All too often I see neighbours, who I know work for the various school boards where I live, outside washing the car or mowing the lawn on a Thursday at 11:30am - 1pm when I'm walking the dog on a known school day....... The early May - mid June time frame at my kids old high school was a time when they would be guaranteed to have 1 or more substitute teachers a week in their classes. I remember 1 particular sunny warm day about 3yrs back when my son had subs for all 4 of his classes that day.....

My wife is a VP. Her phone rings off the hook from 0600 on. And often in the evenings too. Its all teachers calling in for subs.

 

[Maxman1]

Unrelated to the CAF but a person where I worked with in PS would use her sick days for vacation and cash out her annual leave and the end of fiscal. 12 years working and no sick days in her bank.

Karma hit her hard though when she had to take extended sick leave for real and was going to have to on LWOP.

My Dad, former Federal Warden, used to talk about that too. Guards would burn all their annual and sick every year and then when they came down with something serious they had nothing to use.

It bit a few people by the sounds of it.

On the other hand, some workplaces have a fixed amount of sick days per year that don't roll over. So if you don't use your sick days, they're gone.

 

[Halifax Tar]

On the other hand, some workplaces have a fixed amount of sick days per year that don't roll over. So if you don't use your sick days, they're gone.

Now you're moving into the ethical grounds of using sick leave as annual leave.

I'm not interested in that debate. Other than to say people need to be careful they wont be young and healthy forever.

 

[Jarnhamar]

I thought the first statement was for a “20% increase is to the compensation package” while reporting over simplified that to a “20% pay increase”.

I'll try and dig up the video. It's from June 9th or 10th said in an interview with Newstalk 1010 where he said that there would be about a 20-per-cent pay increase immediately for our members.

Compensation package was only added afterwards.

 

[Jarnhamar]

Other than to say people need to be careful they wont be young and healthy forever.

 

[Quirky]

Now you're moving into the ethical grounds of using sick leave as annual leave.

CAF sick leave policy needs a major overhaul, the way sits now it incentivizes people to stay on sick leave. It’s essentially green welfare. Not blaming the MIR one bit, those folks just follow the policy.

 

[Czech_pivo]

My wife is a VP. Her phone rings off the hook from 0600 on. And often in the evenings too. Its all teachers calling in for subs.

I remember in the past (25yrs ago) of friends parents who were teachers who, having saved up the required 200 sick days in the Windsor public school board would take the entire last year of 'work' off using those 'sick days' and then retire at the end of the school year......

 

[mariomike]

Or hire most people for 4-6 years, then kick 'em out with an education credit, so they don't have to stress about housing and daycare while serving.

The CAF probably shouldn't be a 'gubmint job for life', complete with golden handcuffs, for most people...

Might be a rather old fashioned point of view, but nothing wrong, in my opinion, with one's first employer being their last.

Perhaps that lack of "life experience" inspires loyalty, commitment and lifetime gratitude to the employer who hired them straight out of high school ( or college, now ).

No matter how long you live after retirement, until the day you die, they include you as a member ( pensioned ) .

Even contributing financially towards your funeral expenses.

On the other hand, perhaps this could possibly lead to total dependence on the employer, and a lack of individuality.

On the other hand, some workplaces have a fixed amount of sick days per year that don't roll over. So if you don't use your sick days, they're gone.

On the other hand, some workplaces credit 18 days a year to the employee's Sick Bank.

Unused sick days are cumulative.

Upoon retirement, the accumulated sick days are paid off as Sick Bank Gratuity.

 

[Halifax Tar]

CAF sick leave policy needs a major overhaul, the way sits now it incentivizes people to stay on sick leave. It’s essentially green welfare. Not blaming the MIR one bit, those folks just follow the policy.

Something needs to be done. The amount of MELs is pretty wild.

I remember in the past (25yrs ago) of friends parents who were teachers who, having saved up the required 200 sick days in the Windsor public school board would take the entire last year of 'work' off using those 'sick days' and then retire at the end of the school year......

Lots of folks in the CAF did this. I remember when I first got in my PO2 would hang on my CF100s and just give them back to me unprocessed. That only lasted a couple years...

 

[Blackadder1916]

Because it breeds abuse of the system, and puts the pressure on members not to take leave. How many individuals never had approved annual leave passes submitted in the days when there were no limits on carrying it over? How does an individual work 5 years in a row without taking a single annual day?

Medical school and residency?

 

[MJP]

Medical school and residency?

Even then most programs allow for annual to be used, despite what the students try to say. In Canada Calgary's compressed system is harder but even they still can use some. Challenging but even they can't go 5 years without using some

 

[YZT580]

Now you're moving into the ethical grounds of using sick leave as annual leave.

I'm not interested in that debate. Other than to say people need to be careful they wont be young and healthy forever.

and beware of TV cameras. Supervisor got caught doing the wave at a Jays game. Folks in the lunch room shouted it out and the boss heard the commotion.

 

[Eaglelord17]

As much as I would prefer the option of a 20% pay increase across the board, as it would benefit my situation the most, there is plenty of historical data to show what happens when we just give people fistfuls of cash and nothing else. If you look at the small and medium size communities where the CAF is one of the larger employers, and has a larger impact on the local economy, raising pay and allowances doesn't put those individuals ahead in most respects. It just raises the prices on everything, especially things like housing, daycare, and F150s.

If the CAF is serious about actually helping its members, fund better, exclusive, daycare for CAF families to allow spouses to work or improve their education. Find a way to provide a medical clinic for member's dependents, even if it means only having a core staff of nurses, NPs, social workers etc and MDs who can consult via video if needed. Find a real solution to the housing problem, which isn't giving everyone unlimited access to cheap rent in PMQs for their career. Help individuals out in the beginning, sure, but make it clear the intent is to transition out of subsidized housing into the economy.

And before people jump on the "they move us so often we can't get into the market like everyone else" bandwagon, provide some stats on that. Sure, there are plenty of individuals who move quite often, but how many actually stay in one place for 5 or more years in places like Edmonton, the two coasts, Pet, Valcatraz? I also ask what individuals who come from the big cities were going to do if they hadn't joined the military? How were they going to afford rent or a new home in Toronto, Victoria, or Ottawa if they had gone with a different career choice? Yes, moving people does affect their ability to get into and stay in a housing market. Maybe that is the problem we should be looking at solving by throwing money at. Maybe apply an allowance like the Outcan shelter allowance to mortgages, where there is a split between what the member pays and the CAF pays, and when it comes time to sell the home, the profits or losses are also shared by both. And give individuals the option to opt in or out.

But in the end, just handing out raises or retention bonuses, or complicated allowances isn't going to fix the problem by themselves.

Buying and owning a house isn’t a instant cash machine like some think it is. Our current market is a abnormality not the standard. My grandfather moved homes about 8 times in his civilian life as he would move cities/provinces/countries with work. He only actually made money on the last house he sold, every other one he lost money on. As he put it he should have rented.

I don’t think the CAF should even offer much special bonuses for home buying/selling. Thats on you if you choose to take that risk in a mobile career. It should provide cheap and affordable housing options on or near base which is guaranteed though.

The ‘trying to fix the housing market’ is a cop out for trying to avoid military housing. There is a reason basically every military in the world provides this, ours wants to avoid it though due to ‘costs’ but will spend tons subsidizing troops on different markets. If we put that money from whatever PLD became etc. into housing we would be farther ahead as the CAF doesn’t need to run at a profit unlike a private corporation.

We can’t control the macro of the whole Canadian market, but we can easily control the micro of the CAF housing market.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

I had 9 months of accumulated paid sick leave when I retired, it went "poof" when I walked out the door. I treated it like insurance in case I got really sick. Didn't bother me a bit that it vanished.

 

[mariomike]

I had 9 months of accumulated paid sick leave when I retired, it went "poof" when I walked out the door. I treated it like insurance in case I got really sick. Didn't bother me a bit that it vanished.

I retired after 35 years of service,.

That paid a nine month salary gratuity of accumulated days in the sick bank.

Long Term Disability ( LTD ) benefits began after six month of absence due ton Non-occupational illness or injury.

LTD paid 85%, which was topped up to 100% from your sick bank.

 

[KevinB]

Might be a rather old fashioned point of view, but nothing wrong, in my opinion, with one's first employer being their last.

Perhaps that lack of "life experience" inspires loyalty, commitment and lifetime gratitude to the employer who hired them straight out of high school ( or college, now ).

That works for some jobs. I’d argue the CAF isn’t one of those, simply as the role of the CAF is to conduct the nations business by violent means. Very few jobs (none of them) in the CAF are going to be good for everyone from 19-65). Some potential for remuster exists, but by and large most of the Cbt Arms and even CSS should be 4-6 and out, and only the top 10% or so taken to advance in both NCM and Officer positions.

No matter how long you live after retirement, until the day you die, they include you as a member ( pensioned ) .

There are a bunch of us in the grey zone - retired pre pension, so over 10 years on the 20plan (and admittedly not sure if 10 is still the bottom rung to be considered ‘Retired’

On the other hand, perhaps this could possibly lead to total dependence on the employer, and a lack of individuality.

At the end of the day the best value to the Government needs to be considered

Rank is a pyramid, and it should be competitive.

 

[dapaterson]

QR&O 15.09. Ten years or more entitles you to use Rank(Ret'd).

QR&O: Volume I - Chapter 15 Release - Canada.ca

Queen's Regulations and Orders - QR&O - Chapter 15 - Release

www.canada.ca

 

[GR66]

What's a paid sick day???

 

[mariomike]

There are a bunch of us in the grey zone - retired pre pension, so over 10 years on the 20plan (and admittedly not sure if 10 is still the bottom rung to be considered ‘Retired’

Replied in Emergency Services.

 

[lenaitch]

If the CAF is serious about actually helping its members, fund better, exclusive, daycare for CAF families to allow spouses to work or improve their education. Find a way to provide a medical clinic for member's dependents, even if it means only having a core staff of nurses, NPs, social workers etc and MDs who can consult via video if needed.

22 Wing/North Bay has had that for a few years. Doctors are from the community and it is a community that is not overly endowed with doctors (we don't have one). The MFRC also has a daycare which is apparently quite comparable with the outside world.

22 Wing Family Medical Clinic - MFRC North Bay

22 Wing Family Medical Clinic The 22 Wing Family Medical Clinic is located at the rear parking lot of the CF Medical Facility at 95 Manston Crescent. Patients can register by contacting Shirley Lirette at 705-494-2011 ext 2149. It is important to note that the Clinic will not accept patients...

www.northbaymfrc.ca

On the other hand, some workplaces have a fixed amount of sick days per year that don't roll over. So if you don't use your sick days, they're gone.

Terms of employment evolve. When I first joined the OPP, we had accumulated sick days, as did a lot of the PS, that you could cash out upon retirement but to the government that was a huge unfunded and virtually impossible to budget for, liability, so we were switched to a non-accumulative plan, but allowed to keep our bank. Upon retirement the bank vanished into the ether. Some of the old guard would book off on pre-retirement sickness but in a lot of the cases, it was the ones management was happy not to have around anyway. The one snag was their position couldn't be back-filled.

As mentioned, some folks found out that the odds of actually needing sick leave increases with age and all of a sudden they got sick and didn't have the bank to cover it.

We were allowed to carry one year's worth of annual leave with special exceptions. Unless the MoU has changed, we could cash out one week of annual leave.