Uniform Collective Agreement – Article 33 Duration Postings

33.01

It is the intent of the Employer to provide incentives to Employees of the OPP in order to attract and retain qualified personnel to locations designated as “duration postings”. All such incentives are contained within this Article. Duration Postings occur when an employee is assigned to a community as listed in Article 33.08. Duration Postings do not occur when an employee is assigned to serve a short-term rotation of four (4) weeks or less in a community listed in Article 33.08.

33.02

a) Attraction Incentive – Up to October 15, 2024

Employees assigned to a duration posting with a term of two (2) years will qualify for a $30,000 payment. Employees assigned to a Duration Posting with a Term of Three years will qualify for a $25,000 payment. Employees assigned to a Duration Posting with a Term of Four years will qualify for a $15,000 payment. Employees assigned to a Duration Posting with a Term of Five years will qualify for a $10,000 payment. Employees assigned to a Duration Posting with a Term of Six years will qualify for an $8,000 payment. In order to receive this payment in all cases, the employee must report for duty at the respective Duration Posting and live in the community. This payment will be paid out in equal amounts on an annual basis over the course of their first term in the duration location.

b) Attraction Incentive – Effective October 16, 2024

Employees assigned to a duration posting with a Term of Two (2) years will qualify for a $40,000 payment. Employees assigned to a Duration Posting with a Term of Three years will qualify for a $32,500 payment. Employees assigned to a Duration Posting with a Term of Four years will qualify for a $20,000 payment. Employees assigned to a Duration Posting with a Term of Five years will qualify for a $10,000 payment. In order to receive this payment in all cases, the employee must report for duty at the respective Duration Posting and live in the community. This payment will be paid out in equal amounts on an annual basis over the course of their first term in the duration location, as set out here:

For clarity, the implementation of the changes in this article 32.02 are not retroactive but shall be applied on a pro-rated basis to any Duration Postings effective October 16, 2024.

New recruits hired on or after January 1, 2009, whose first assignment is to a Duration Posting, will also receive a one-time payment of two- thousand dollars ($2000) to, in part, offset travel expenses. This payment will be paid at the beginning of the Duration Term.

33.03

a) Renewal Incentive Up to October 15, 2024

Where an employee completes their first duration posting and signs up for a subsequent term at the same duration posting length, the employee will qualify for a Renewal Incentive as follows, based on their duration posting length:

b) Renewal Incentive Effective October 16, 2024

Where an employee completes their first duration posting and signs up for a subsequent term at the same duration posting length, the employee will qualify for a Renewal Incentive, as follows:

For clarity, the implementation of the changes in this article 33.03 are not retroactive but shall be applied on a pro-rated basis to any Duration Postings effective October 16, 2024.

33.03.01

Pro-Rated Renewal Incentive – Employees who are due to become duration complete may renew at the same Duration Posting for any period in full-year increments to a maximum of one (1) year less than the full Duration Posting Length. Such employees shall receive an incentive payment of $15,000 pro-rated by the full Duration Posting length. That prorated amount shall be paid out each year of their subsequent Duration Posting term. Employees who wish to renew must provide a minimum of three months written notice and must identify the length of the renewal at that time.

33.03.02

A duration complete employee who chooses to transfer out of a Duration Posting will be automatically entitled to the Pro-Rated Renewal Incentive until they are transferred or until they apply for another option in accordance with the Northern Incentive Compensation Enhancement (NICE) program. For clarity, in the event a member later re-signs for a subsequent duration term at the current duration location, Article 33.06.05 shall apply. For further clarity, duration complete employees who wish to transfer from their duration location shall still be required to submit their area(s) of preference once they are ready to transfer.

Employees may make their request to transfer at any time commencing six (6) months prior to their Duration complete date.

33.03.03

Employees who are duration complete may sign up for a subsequent term at the same Duration Posting location and be entitled to apply for the Renewal Incentive pursuant to this article regardless of any change in position or rank during the initial term, or a subsequent term.

33.04

Employees assigned to Duration Postings may, at any time, apply for, be assigned to, or be promoted into positions within the same Duration Posting location without any impact on the calculation of the length of time served, or to be served. Notwithstanding the foregoing, employees who accept a promotion during the term of their Duration Posting shall not be eligible for transfer until the later of:

(a) the date the employee is Duration complete; or

(b) the date the employee has completed 18 months of continuous service in the promotion position.

For clarity, members who accept a promotion in a Duration Posting will not be considered for lateral transfer until six (6) months prior to the later of the dates set out in a) and b) above.

33.04.01

Employees assigned to Duration Postings may, at any time, apply for a position in a Duration Posting location other than their own. The assignment or promotion into such a position shall be on mutual consent of the Employer and the Employee and shall be contingent upon operational requirements. For clarity, employees moving to another duration posting will not carry over their time accrued in their former duration posting. Employees who change Duration Posting locations and who are not duration complete shall, if they had been receiving a Northern Incentive Compensation Enhancement (NICE) payment, receive a prorated payment only for the time spent in that posting. Employees who change Duration Posting locations, whether they are duration complete or not, shall only be entitled to apply for an Attraction Incentive, and not a Renewal Incentive, for the initial term at the new location.

33.05.01

Where the length of a Duration Posting in which an employee is working on January 1, 2009, has been reduced, the employee shall have all time served in the posting credited to the new duration. Where an employee’s accrued time served exceeds the new length of the Duration Posting, they shall be deemed duration complete and shall be entitled to any outstanding incentives owed to them.

33.05.02

Where the length of a Duration Posting in which an employee is working on January 1, 2009, has been extended, the employee shall be required to meet the original length of the posting as required in the 2006-08 MOU to be considered duration complete.

33.05.03

Where an employee is entitled to receive an installment of their Attraction Incentive after January 1, 2009, and where that incentive has been increased since the date upon which the employee was assigned to the posting, the employee shall be eligible to receive a pro-rated incentive based on the new level of incentive for the remaining time required for the employee to be duration complete.

For employees eligible under this section, their original Attraction Incentive shall be prorated for time served up to December 31, 2008.

33.05.04

Employees working in a Duration Posting as defined in the 2006-2008 MOU that no longer qualifies as such under this agreement, shall continue to receive any and all incentives flowing from the previous MOU until such time as they are duration complete.

33.06.01

Employees assigned to Duration Postings are entitled to the applicable incentives providing they maintain a residence in their assigned duration posting community, as defined in Article 33.08, for use during their shift periods. Exemptions may be granted if circumstances are such that it is not possible for the employee to reside in a location.

33.06.02

All Duration Posting terms will be extended by the length of any employee requested leaves of absence beyond thirty days.

33.06.03

The Employer retains the right to transfer employees where it is deemed to be in the best interests of the OPP.

33.06.04

An employee can apply in writing to re-sign for a second or subsequent term as early as six (6) months in advance of their anniversary date/month at the duration posting. The anniversary date will not be affected.

33.06.05

An employee who does not apply in writing to re-sign in advance of their anniversary date and subsequently decides to re-sign after they are Duration complete will be eligible for the Renewal Incentive. The duration term and incentives will commence on the date they apply to re-sign.

33.07

This incentive program was implemented January 1, 2001 and will apply to employees on the anniversary date of their transfer date into the Duration Posting.

33.08

This Article names, lists and sets out the length of a “Duration Posting”.

2 YEAR STATUS

3 YEAR STATUS

4 YEAR STATUS

Effective January 1, 2025, Wawa is changed to 4-year status location (from 5-year status location).

5 YEAR STATUS

Effective January 1, 2025, the following locations are changed to 5-year status locations (from 6-year status locations):

6 YEAR STATUS

Effective January 1, 2025, the following locations are eliminated as 6-year status locations:

33.09

To the extent that it does not interfere with the Commissioner’s right to assign personnel, the Employer undertakes to reassign an employee at the expiration of the term of the employee’s duration posting consistent with the operating requirements of the OPP and the expressed area of preference of the employee. For the purpose of clarity, when an employee re-signs for a subsequent term, the expiration of the term will have occurred after they have completed that subsequent term.

33.10.01

Employees posted to the detachments of Red Lake, Ear Falls, Sioux Lookout and Northwest Patrol, who spend time providing front line policing support in Pikangikum, North Caribou Lake (Weagamow Lake), Big Trout Lake (Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug), Wapekeka First Nations, Pickle Lake and other locations the parties agree to from time to time, will receive double time credit for that time for the purposes of Article 33.

33.10.02

(a) In the event the Employer first exhausts all available transfer requests directly to Pickle Lake, Big Trout Lake (Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug), North Caribou (Weagamow Lake) and Wapekeka on a two (2) year duration term, or lacks sufficient experienced members available for transfer, the Parties may also rely upon Articles 33.10.01 to 33.10.07 above to ensure adequate staffing of these locations.

(b) For clarity, Article 33.10.01 shall only apply in the event that the Employer is unable to staff directly at these locations and a member of the Sioux Lookout detachment (four (4) year duration location and related entitlements) is assigned to support Pickle Lake, Big Trout Lake (Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug), North Caribou (Weagamow Lake) and Wapekeka on a rotational basis of no less than six (6) months and no greater than two (2) continuous years, as described in Article 33.10.02.

(c) Any member claiming entitlement for double time credit under Article 33.10.01 must first meet all eligibility requirements for Duration entitlements at their home duration location as set out in Article 33.

33.10.03

To qualify for the double time credit under 33.10.01, employees shall serve a rotation at one or more of these First Nation locations of no less than six (6) months and no greater than two (2) continuous years.

33.10.04

The provisions of Article 22, except as modified by Article 33.10.07 below, shall apply to any employee serving a rotation.

33.10.05

Employees who receive a double time credit as a result of this agreement and who also receive a NICE payment pursuant to Article 33, shall receive their NICE payments at a rate proportionate to the double time credit earned.

33.10.06

Employees who are in receipt of NICE and who become duration complete as a result of the language in 33.10.01, will be entitled to the Renewal Incentive pursuant to Article 33 should they sign up for a subsequent term at the same Duration Posting.

33.10.07

The provisions of Article 33.06.01, and specifically the requirement to reside within the assigned Duration Posting community, shall not apply to employees while they are serving a rotation at either of these First Nation locations.

33.10.08

Employees who serve rotations are not required to stay at the First Nation location on rest days. The Employer shall provide transportation, at its own expense, to the employees so that they can return to their Duration Posting location during their rest days or other blocks of time when they are not scheduled for duty.

33.11

No other incentive arrangements beyond those provided in this section are permitted.