Leave Policy – Christmas / Holidays [Merged]

[George Wallace]

I knew as soon as this Topic was opened that 'It' was a stupid question by someone who was not a member.  Obviously, if this person had been in the CF for this long, they would know the 'drill'.  This has been fun, and the exposure of someone's credentials has been interesting, but it is now time to put this to bed.

The Topic on LEAVE over the Christmas holidays has been covered before.  Please SEARCH.

TOPIC LOCKED.

 

[Metlica]

Hey,
I believe I'm starting BMQ on the 29th of September and basically the 13th week is on the week of Christmas and therefore
do any of you think my training will go into the week of christmas, just to get it done and over with?

Also how many times or when are we allowed to leave the base? I know it is a privilege but some things change
over the years and basically I would like the most up to date information.

Thanks a lot

 

[Klinkaroo]

Hey,
I believe I'm starting BMQ on the 29th of September and basically the 13th week is on the week of Christmas and therefore
do any of you think my training will go into the week of christmas, just to get it done and over with?

Also how many times or when are we allowed to leave the base? I know it is a privilege but some things change
over the years and basically I would like the most up to date information.

Thanks a lot

After your 4th week you MAY get the weekends if you did a good job and your instructors judge that you earned it. That is the only time (I recall) that we could leave base and they will tell you this but just a reminder if your leaving base, fill out a leave pass... You might get evenings to go to canex and stuff but again priviliges not rights. Last but not least just because you get your first weeked doesn't mean you get the second and so on.

As for christmas I will let someone else awnser this one.

 

[George Wallace]

How about a little SEARCH on Christmas Leave?  It has been covered many times before.  Since Confederation we have celebrated 140 Christmas' in the Canadian military.  I am sure the question has been asked at least once in that time.

 

[traviss-g]

Hey,
I'm just wondering do they start new BMQ's in the month of december? I am doing my medical soon and am guessing i wont be ready to go until december but people I have talked to say that they don't start BMQ in december and skip over until january. Is that true? I am really hoping to leave ASAP and sitting around for another month waiting just because of a holiday would suck.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

AFAIK, yes, courses start at CFLRS in the month of December.  Who are the 'people' you have talked to?  If it was the mailman, the guy at the corner store, etc, try asking that question, oh, I don't know, say at the CFRC staff when you are there doing your medical soon. 

 

[Narcisse]

I heard on this forum that the CFLRS  was closing for holidays from December 10th to January 6th... I thought it was true but with what you are saying it doesn't seems to be true...

 

[Mapcinq]

I had my medical in June, so I hope they start some in December as well.  Finally got merit listed a few weeks back after some confusion as to the location of my file... lol.  Hopefully you wont have to wait as long as I have (althought I am working full time so its not that bad).

 

[Eye In The Sky]

CFLRS will go on Christmas Leave, just like every other year.  I doubt it will be as early as the 10th though I could be wrong, as the Christmas Leave Instructions I've seen have Christmas Leave beginning on the 20 Dec 08 and ending 04 Jan 09.  But regardless of when the leave period starts, training continues until that date.  Maybe someone who is posted to CFLRS (staff, not candidates) has seen the Christmas Leave Instruction and can post detailed info.

If you are that curious, ask at your CFRCs. 

 

[Celticgirl]

I know a few people who are at CFLRS now, and one friend's hubby said his wife will be home on break from 11 Dec. to 3 Jan.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

I know a few people who are at CFLRS now, and one friend's hubby said his wife will be home on break from 11 Dec. to 3 Jan.

Have they submitted leave passes yet, and did this come from their Course Staff, or rumours passed from platoon to platoon in the lineup in the Mess at breaky?  I am not saying it is not true, I am saying until something more official confirms it, to not count on it.  Rumours travel thru CFLRS like wildfire sometimes.  All I've seen are the ones put out by my unit, which are based on the ones put out by NDHQ.  CFLRS could very well be taking Block leave earlier than that.

If they are, perhaps there is no BMQ courses starting in Dec.  Why don't we wait for someone on staff at CFLRS to confirm what the plan is up there this year before this 'pin the tail on the donkey' game goes any further? 

 

[Celticgirl]

Have they submitted leave passes yet, and did this come from their Course Staff, or rumours passed from platoon to platoon in the lineup in the Mess at breaky?  I am not saying it is not true, I am saying until something more official confirms it, to not count on it.  Rumours travel thru CFLRS like wildfire sometimes.  All I've seen are the ones put out by my unit, which are based on the ones put out by NDHQ.

I only know as much as I posted above. Her husband relayed the information from his wife in St. Jean to some of her friends back home, including me. I've no idea how she was informed of this. 

 

[Mike Baker]

I'd be so happy to start BMQ next month, but my guess is sometime in Jan.


Beav

 

[Eye In The Sky]

I'd be curious to see the fact from fiction on this one.  I do know that, according to my calendar, being on Leave from 11 Dec 08 - 06 Jan 09 would be 26 calendar days.

Assuming the CO is authorizing 2 x Short Leave days for both Dec and Jan; and given the 3 x Stat, 2 x Special Leave Days, IAW CFAO 16-1, which I can't link to at this time as the Internet site is down for maintenence, and including the normal 8 x Wknd Leave days over this period, you would be required to burn/use 9 Annual Leave Days.

26 - (4+3+2+8) = 9  right?

Recruits who get sworn in and report to CFLRS later this month are only going to receive 2 days leave for each full month of service this FY (Dec, Jan, Feb and Mar).  That is only 8 days Ann Leave.  So...there is a problem.  You can't take 9 days Ann Lve if you only have 8.

Now, aside from all that stuff, here is the bigger issue. 

Those who will be at CFLRS in training leading up to this Christmas Holiday, please read this part.

Lets pretend that, unofficially, you hear that you will be off on Leave beginning 11 Dec 08.  But, you didn't fill out a leave pass yet.  Or, you did fill out a leave pass but you haven't gotten it back yet (signed, that is).  If you go ahead and book a flight/train/boat/donkey/whatever to get home on the 11th before you have that leave pass, and then you find out that you aren't actually on leave until 19 Dec/pick a date 2008, the CF will NOT be responsible for that financially.

Did I see that happen before?  I sure did, to a whole bunch of people who just finished IAP/BOTP on 07 Dec 06.  They were *told* at CFLRS they would be starting Christmas Leave after duty on 15 Dec 06 (a Friday), but being that they were going to belong to CFLS Det St-Jean the Friday following grad, CFLS Det St-Jean would be responsible for their Leave Admin for Christmas.  Based on that, people went ahead and booked flights home, some to Nfld, some to BC, etc etc before they even graduated IAP/BOTP.

Guess how pissed off they were when CFLS Det St-Jean told them that they were not on Leave until after duty on 20 Dec 06?  Did those folks have signed leave passes in their hands?  Nope.  Were they ever officially told they were on leave beginning after duty 15 Dec 06?  Nope.  Were they *told* that they were on leave beginning 15 Dec 06?  Sure they were, by someone at CLFRS who thought that because that is when CFLRS went on Christmas Leave that year.  So...a hundred or so newly-minted Junior Officers reported to CFLS Det St-Jean on 08 Dec 06 thinking they were off on leave that following Friday.  All of them that had flights booked had to scramble to get them changed.  Everyone had to make phone calls to tell whoever was waiting for them that, no, they wouldn't be home on the 15th now.  Some of the people who had to rebook flights couldn't get on flights the night of the 20 Dec, or even the 21st of Dec that year.  IIRC, there was a BAD storm that was supposed to, and did hit, Montreal, 21 Dec 06.  Flights were delayed.  For those folks, it only got worse and morale was VERY low.

Maybe my little story is long.  Hopefully people learn from it.  And yes, that is a true story, and yes I was there to witness it.

(UFI - For those who don't know, CFLS [CF Language School] Det St-Jean is located in the Mega along with CFLRS)

 

[traviss-g]

Well the "people" i talked to were not in the CF, my friend, who is joining with me, talked to some of his friends in the CF who said they don't do BMQ in the month of december. But much of the information he has received from them and given to me has contradicted things said here so I think there may be a communication mix-up between the time his friends give him answers and the time he relays them to me  .

 

[fire_guy686]

Well the "people" i talked to were not in the CF, my friend, who is joining with me, talked to some of his friends in the CF who said they don't do BMQ in the month of december. But much of the information he has received from them and given to me has contradicted things said here so I think there may be a communication mix-up between the time his friends give him answers and the time he relays them to me  .

They do BMQ in December. I was still truckin along into December when I did my course and I know my in-law who did BMQ this past winter was also still training into December.

 

[kkramar]

My BMQ is dated for Sept 13, so I should be done by Dec 16. But if things happen (hopefully not), that I get recourse and have to go past Christmas.
Do they give the holiday off during BMQ?
If they do give the holiday off, do they pay to fly you home and back or do you have to do that at your own expense?

 

[9nr Domestic]

Yes, you will get leave over Christmas. Travel to and from your home is at your expense for Christmas leave. LTA (Leave Travel Assistance) is available, so it depends on where home is for you if and how much assistance you will receive.

 

[the 48th regulator]

And this episode is a closed.

Join us next time folks as Super Applicant defeats his new Arch-Enemy, Lackadaisical Man, to actually find the Search Function.  Watch as SA finds his friends in the North Pole, and gets into many shenanigans; until Santa and Lackadaisical Man Join forces to stop him!!

Until then, sleep tight, and join us for the further adventures of Applicant Man!!!

dileas

tess

milnet.ca staff

 

[EpicBeardedMan]

After doing multiple searches on the forums with no luck (Including "BMQ Christmas, BMQ Xmas, BMQ Christmas Leave, and Christmas Leave") I was wondering if anyone knows what dates we get off for christmas leave as my family is trying to plan a vacation. Any assistance would be awesome. I saw one thread that had the same question but the person said to search in the forums, as is the normal reply on these forums usually, which I did, but to no avail.

-Thanks