The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada
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4900 Yonge SP Sub-Group 2020 AGM - December 9, 2020

Roll Call

24 members of the 4900 Yonge SP Sub-Group representing PSPC and TC were present (audio and/or webcam) at the AGM held virtually over MS Teams in Toronto.

Executive Members in attendance:

Lynn Kumita (LK): President

Jeremy Craigs (JC): Vice-President

Ben Smith (BS): Secretary/Treasurer

Quorum was established.  Current membership is 35 members based on membership list obtained from PIPSC.

Approval of Agenda 

The Agenda was approved unanimously.

Adoption of the Minutes of previously Annual General meeting

The Minutes of the Previous AGM held on November 6, 2019 was reviewed and approved unanimously.

Business Arising from the Minutes

No New Business

Report of the President

Lynn Kumita (LK) shared updates from the past year.  Due to the on-going COVID pandemic, activities this past year were limited. Updates and activities included:

  • Update from the Sub-Group Executive Representative identified that no regional president meeting had been held since March and all in-person meetings for PIPSC had been put on hold due to the pandemic.  
  • The pandemic impacted a number of things, including the Employee Wellness Program; however, progress is being made and PIPSC is actively working on it.  
  • Executive Meetings: September 16th & November 22, 2020 (via MS Teams).

Annual Financial Report for 2018

B. Smith presented the Financial Updates.

Report of the Elections Committee

Two executive positions were open for election this year: one for a two-year term and one for a one-year term. Based on the size of the group, which is now 35 members J.Craigs ran the election.

  • Ben Smith put name forward as candidate for 1-yr term
  • Lynn Kumita put name forward as candidate for 2 yr-term
  • No other nominations made

No objections from the floor – Ben and Lynn acclaimed to the executive.

New Business

  1. Presentation: Update on Status of the Employee Wellness Program (EWSP)
  • Ann Theriault from PIPSC provided an overview and status update to the group. 
  • Currently, looks like February will be the roll-out for ratification.
  • The EWSP will be a system purchased and managed internally by the GoC. It’s not yet been determined if it will be run by a central agency or at the department level.
    • To access and implement the program, Case Officers will be assigned to assist managers and staff.
    • Program would kick-in on the 4th consecutive sick day an employee is off. The employee’s manager would notify the EWSP Case Officer and then they would deal with ensuring the EWSP is implemented and take care of the required documentation.
  • Working Groups are continuing as it will impact collective agreements and other governance documents.
  • In Closing, Lunch & Learns will be provided by PIPSC ahead of any voting on the program.  Any questions can be sent to Ann directly.
  1. Questions from the floor
  • Ann identified that:
    • banked sick leave cannot be cashed out, but may be maintained moving forward to be used as “back-up” for long-term leaves.  If you have a negative bank of leave, you will need to re-pay it before you leave the public service.
    • If the employer requires a medical certificate to prove why an employee is away, under the new EWSP the employer will pay for the certificate/note.
    • Chronic illnesses, which will require support from a doctor’s note/certification, will be supported under the 26 weeks of leave and not the 9 days of sick leave.
  • Member asked if one medical note once is enough for a chronic illness or would this have to be submitted on an annual bases?
    • Response: it would be on a case by case basis and will be taken care of by the EWSP Case Officer.
  • Member asked is it up to the Manager or the case officer to determine the leave (short term disability under EWSP) or not?
    • Response: The Manager only administers the 9 days of sick leave (to be used for things like a common cold).  For chronic illnesses, certified by a doctor, it will get passed onto the EWSP Case Manager.  The goal is not to give the Manager the responsibility to decide whether you are eligible for term disability or not.
  1. Round Table
  • LK led the discussion.  Included:
    • Identification/introduction of PIPSC Stewards in the sub-group as there are some new members.  Stewards include:  Maegan Harrison and Mei Ling Chen.
      • If any members are interested in becoming stewards, please contact Lynn, Ben or Jeremy and we can direct you to resources on the PIPSC website.
    • Discussion on Phoenix Pay Issues
      • Maegan Harrison identified if any members are still having issues, consider filing a grievance.  As a steward she was involved with a few grievances and it seemed to resolve the issue.  Stewards are available to assist any members wanting to file a grievance or needing more information on the process.
      • Member shared experience with the grievance process that aided in resolving his pay issues due to Phoenix.
      • Member identified that messaging from HR implies that employees are required to manage the tax implications of what the government has been paying employees with Phoenix issues. Displeased that the responsibility/onus has been passed down to employees.
      • Mei Ling (Steward) identified that PSPC HR indicated that there would be changes to the HR Pay System to improve access to information on pay stubs – will improve employee’s ability to understand the deductions codes and pay rates. No date/timeline was provided though.
      • Member shared that recently received a letter indicating an overpayment but due to COVID, re-payment would be deferred and follow-up provided. The letter did not contain any details, so the member called the Pay Centre to get more details and understand how the overpayment had been calculated.
Published on 22 January 2021