Frequently Asked Questions

3 separate occurrences or 5 shifts in the period between January 1 to June 30 or July 1 to December 31. If in the subsequent 6 month period, you meet or exceed the 3 occurrences or 5 shifts you will move up a step on the program.

No. They are unpaid emergency leave days provided under Employment Standards Act. The manager can ask for proof of the emergency leave in order to substantiate the absence. You call in for ELOA the same way as you call in sick. You speak with the unit and request to be transferred to the manager to either speak in person or leave a detailed message as the reason for the ELOA.

If you are cancelled for a tour that has been added to your schedule, doesn’t matter if it is an OT tour or a straight time tour, you need to be given personal notice.  If you are fulltime and you are given less than 48 hours of notice, then your next regularly scheduled tour is paid at 1.5 premium.  Article 14.12 (a).  If you are parttime and you are given less than 24 hours of notice, then your next regularly scheduled tour is paid at 1.5 premium.  Article 14.12 (b).

If you have completed at tour that was added to your schedule, and you have left work, and are called back to work within 24 hours, you are entitled to 2.0 OT.  Article 14.06.  The exemption to this is swaps.  If you swap with someone and then pick up a shift the following day of the swap you are not entitled to 2.0 OT.

This is a grievance as it violates the language in the collective agreement as how OT is offered.  As per the collective agreement OT is offered to FT who have made themselves available by most senior first, then if the shift has not been filled then PT. then casual, then offered at OT to other units to staff who have made themselves available to work and are approved to work on the unit, then it can be offered at OT to other ONA classifications.  Article G.9.  No where in the collective agreement does it say you need to offer OT at 1.5 before offering at 2.0 OT.  OT is OT there are not to tiers of OT.

It is important that all parttime put in their availability and frequently update it as your availability changes. The more availability/flexibility you provide in Kronos/Dimensions the greater the chance you will be booked the shifts you want.  There has been a change in the parttime language, and the employer can book you for greater than 45 hours prior to posting instead of waiting for the schedule to be posted before offering additional tours.  There is a comment you can put in at the time of entering your availability allowing you to state the number of total shifts you wish to be considered for (as long as you meet your 45 hours per pay period).

If you have called in sick, six or more times from the period of April 1 to March 31 the first 15 hours of absence due to illness is unpaid.  If you believe that you were absences were not coded correctly, the first step is to reach out to your manager and payroll to ensure the absences were coded correctly and you were not coded sick if you had an ELOA or a bereavement leave.

It is important that you take a moment to review the Medical Absence Form before submitting it to Occupational Health. Make sure you have signed your section at the top of the form. Make sure the doctor has completed their section and sign it. It is important to note if you are totally disabled, or partially and can return to work with a return to work plan. If you can return to work and have restrictions it is important that those restrictions are documented.

If your accommodation/RTW plan is not working, you need to communicate that to your manager, your Ability Specialist and your ONA Site Rep/BUP. If you need to get updated medical (Medical Absence Form) to reflect the changes to your condition, then that needs to be submitted to Occupational Health.

FT employees have 562.5 hours of sick bank. PT and casual nurses receive in lieu of benefits.

FT if you are off sick and will remain off work due to illness past the 562.5 hours, you will need to apply for EI sick. That will cover you for an additional 15 weeks until you an apply for LTD.

Part time if you are off sick for greater than 7 days you can request an ROE (record of employment) and you will be eligible for EI sick. LTD is not included in part time. But you can apply for $250.00 monthly benefit from belairdirect.

There is also Critical Illness Coverage which is a one-time only lump sum payment. For FT it is $7,500 for PT it is $3,500 this is offered though belairdirect.

For a cousin – no time. For aunt, uncle, niece or nephew – one day to attend the funeral. This must be blood relative – not close family member you call “auntie”. For immediate family: son, daughter, parents, grandparents, spouse/partner, brother, sister and (in-laws) -  4 days attached to the funeral. This time can be flexed over 2 occasions to accommodate religious/cultural diversity but cannot exceed 4 days in total. Article 11.05.

If you are contacted by CNO and are requested respond back, the first step is to contact LEAP (Legal Employee Assistance Plan) who are a team of lawyers who only deal with complaints to the College of Nurses. You can call 1-800-387-5580 or email them at .gro.1772037139ano@e1772037139katnI1772037139PAEL1772037139