Isolated Posts and Government Housing Directive

Appendix H - Criteria for Determining Levels

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1. Environment allowance

This Directive was developed in partnership by employer and bargaining agent representatives at the National Joint Council. Its provisions form part of the collective agreements of the participating parties under the By-Laws of the National Joint Council. The provisions also apply to persons not covered by collective agreements as indicated in the Directive or by employer policy.

For more information on the National Joint Council, visit their web site at http://www.njc-cnm.gc.ca.

Note: You will require Internet capability to access the above site.

1.  Environment allowance

This allowance becomes payable when a post has satisfied those criteria governing its eligibility to be considered isolated under sections 5.2 to 5.4 inclusive of this directive. The environment allowance is assessed on the basis of population, climate, barren or taiga lands and access. Points are allocated for various degrees of these factors as shown below. Subject to 1.15.2, the payment of this allowance is a basic prerequisite to all other provisions of this directive, except the special location allowance which is outlined in section 4 of this appendix.

Population factor

Climate factor

Points  10 - 80

The features of this factor are the degree of wind-chill, the length of the period of darkness, annual precipitation and temperature variations. This factor is assessed from a map prepared by the Department of the Environment for this purpose.

Barren and taiga lands factor

Special recognition is given to locations in the barren and taiga Lands. This factor is assessed from a map prepared by the Canadian Forestry Service, Environment Canada.

Access factor

Accessibility criteria are applied in the assessment of locations. Recognition is applied to two situations: "posts with no all-weather road access" and "posts with all-weather road access". Points are awarded as follows:

Posts with no all-weather road access

Posts with all-weather road access

Classification level

The point values as determined by the above factors are totalled to calculate the appropriate environment allowance classification level:

The dollar amounts of Environment Allowance are determined by referring the appropriate classification level of the post to Schedule B of this directive.

Using the criteria outlined in Part V and Appendix H of this Directive, Statistics Canada personnel will review the Environment Allowance level of a post during their retail price survey visits and report their findings to the Treasury Board Secretariat.

2.  Living cost differential

A living cost differential may be authorized at certain isolated posts where abnormally high prices prevail for food, household operations, transportation, personal care, tobacco and alcoholic beverages. This allowance becomes effective when the price of these goods and services, as measured by Statistics Canada, reaches an index level of 115 or higher in relation to an index of 100 at the major source of supply to the isolated post. When there is more than one source of supply for a region, the comparison will be made to the base city most associated with the majority of posts in the region.

When Statistics Canada is unable to measure the index by reason of the lack of response by employees to mail survey questionnaires, the National Joint Council, on the recommendation of the Committee on Isolated Posts, may recommend the reduction or deletion of the living cost differential.

The amount of the allowance is related to the average Canadian family expenditures on the range of goods and services covered, as reported by Statistics Canada from time to time.

The following table illustrates the living cost differential classification level applicable to the various index differential ranges. A price index at any point within a given range is measured from the mid-point of that range.

The dollar amounts of the living cost differential are determined by referring the appropriate classification level of the post to Appendix C of this directive.

(Revised Basket)

The dollar amounts of the living cost differential are determined by referring the appropriate classification level of the post to Appendix C of this directive.

3.  Fuel and utilities differential

A fuel and utilities differential shall only be paid at designated isolated posts where the following conditions are met:

(a)  employees are required to pay for one or both of the actual fuel or utilities consumption directly to the supplier(s) or indirectly through an identifiable portion of their rent, and

(b)  (i)  the isolated post experiences 6,000 Celsius degree-days or more annually; or

      (ii)  the cost of fuel and utilities is at least 15 per cent greater than the base city average cost. (revised June 2004)

The differential paid, determined by referring the appropriate classification level of the post to Appendix D of this directive, is based on the differential between the National Composite Billing cost for fuel and utilities plus 15 per cent, and the calculated fuel and utilities cost at the isolated post. (revised June 2004)

4.  Special location allowance

Locations will be added to Appendix G when:

(a)  a post is deleted from Appendix A and it qualified for a living cost differential or a fuel and utilities differential at the time it was deleted, or

(b)  a location is 129 km or more from a location having a population of 10,000 or more, is 257 km or more from a location having a population of 50,000 or more, received 50 points or more in accordance with section 1 of this appendix and qualifies for a living cost and/or a fuel and utilities differential.

The aggregate amount of the allowance will be the sum of the appropriate rates of the living costs differential and the fuel and utilities differential.

When the location no longer meets the criteria for the living cost differential and the fuel and utilities differential outlined in this appendix it will be deleted from Appendix G.