Part IV - Relocation to an Isolated Post

Employees authorized to relocate under the NJC Relocation Directive or the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Relocation Directive to or from isolated post headquarters will be governed by the applicable relocation directive and subject to the restrictions and provisions of this part. In the event that there is a discrepancy between the relocation directive and the Isolated Posts and Government Housing Directive (IPGHD), the IPGHD will take precedence.

4.1 Conditions

4.1.1 For the purposes of this part, family members who are permanently residing with employees, but who are precluded from qualifying as dependants under the Income Tax Act because they receive pensions, shall be deemed to be dependants.

4.2 Occupational Health Evaluation Prior to Relocation to an Isolated Post

4.2.1 The employer must ensure through preventive services that employees and their dependants are medically fit prior to relocating to an isolated post. Before someone can be assigned to an isolated post, an Occupational Health Evaluation for isolated posts must be carried out for that person and any dependant to determine their medical, physical, dental and psychological fitness to live at the isolated post.

4.2.2 Departments will provide Health Canada with the names of employees proposed for relocation to isolated posts and with the proposed posting schedule.

4.2.3 Employees proposed for relocation to an isolated post, and their dependants, if any, will complete a confidential form and submit it to Health Canada.

4.2.4 Health Canada will review the confidential form(s) completed by employees and prospective employees to determine whether any further evaluations are required.

4.2.5 If Health Canada determines that additional health details are required, the employee will be informed they are responsible to obtain this information, and the department will be responsible for any costs.

4.2.6 Health Canada will provide a report to the deputy head and advise whether the employee and dependant(s) are medically fit for relocation to an isolated post.

4.2.7 Where Health Canada identifies concerns in meeting the health requirements specified in the Occupational Health Evaluation Guide, and the individual continues not to fully meet these requirements upon further medical testing, if done, the employing department will make every effort, up to the point of undue hardship, to accommodate the individual.

4.2.8 The final report to the employing department shall not contain confidential medical information. Confidential medical information from the Occupational Health Evaluation is available to the prospective employee and employee under the Privacy Act or may be obtained informally by the employee from Health Canada.

4.2.9 The deputy head shall authorize the payment of the medical examination under this part.

4.3 Furnished Accommodation – Weight Limitations

4.3.1 Subject to this section, when furnished accommodation is provided, the amount of the relocation expenses on the move into or out of the headquarters, attributable to the transportation of the household and personal effects of employees and their dependants, shall not exceed the lesser of:

1. the amount actually incurred for that transportation, and
2. the amount that would have been incurred if the aggregate of the maximum weights of those household and personal effects, including containers, did not exceed
   1. 900 kg in respect of the employee, plus
   2. 900 kg in respect of their first dependant, plus
   3. 225 kg in respect of each additional dependant.

4.3.2 The deputy head may reduce the weight of the household and personal effects that may be transported at public expense when:

1. similar furniture or appliances are part of the furnishings of the accommodation, or
2. aircraft is the most practical and economical means of transportation.

4.3.3 The weight limitations referred to in this section shall be increased by:

1. 15 per cent if the shipment is by air or road,
2. 25 per cent if the shipment is by rail, or
3. 30 per cent if the shipment is by watercraft.

4.3.4 When employees transfer from one isolated post to another, the deputy head may authorize reimbursement for the transportation of household and personal effects that exceed the weight limits.

4.3.5 When the deputy head is satisfied that, through no fault of the employees, their household and personal effects authorized for shipment at government expense exceed the weight limits, the additional costs incurred in transporting their household and personal effects may be authorized.

4.3.6 The weight of objects used for disability-related needs (such as motorized wheelchair, etc.), shall not be considered as part of the weight of the employee's household and personal effects for the purposes of the weight limitations.

4.3.7 Shipment of Automobiles or Recreational Vehicles: When the shipment of automobiles or recreational vehicles, such as snowmobiles, boats, motorcycles, etc., is authorized pursuant to the NJC or RCMP Relocation Directive, the weight of these items shall not be considered as part of the weight of the employee's household and personal effects for the purposes of the weight limitations.

4.3.8 The deputy head should use discretion when authorizing the shipment of private motor vehicles. The shipment should be authorized only to locations where there are roads and where employees normally use private motor vehicles. Deputy heads may authorize a short-term rental (maximum four months) of a vehicle (not including insurance or mileage) by an employee awaiting the shipment of their private motor vehicle if the cost of said rental is less than the cost of immediate shipment.

4.3.9 Employees wishing to ship into their headquarters vehicles purchased after their relocation to that location shall do so at their own expense.

4.3.10 Upon the employee's relocation out of the isolated post, a vehicle shipped in at the employee's expense will be shipped out at the employer's expense, provided the isolated post the employee is leaving is one to which vehicles are normally shipped as per subsection 4.3.8 of this directive.

4.3.11 When employees are transferred from one isolated post to another, they are entitled to be reimbursed for the costs incurred in receiving some or all of the household and personal effects and private motor vehicles that may have been placed in storage pursuant to section 4.4. If they will be occupying furnished accommodation, the combined weight of the furniture and effects being shipped from the place of storage and the former isolated post will be subject to the conditions outlined in section 4.4.

4.4 Furnished Accommodation - Storage of Effects

4.4.1 Section 4.4 must be read in combination with the Relocation Directive.

4.4.2 When, by reason only of the limits referred to in section 4.3, any part of the household and personal effects of employees are not transported to their headquarters and deputy heads are satisfied that it is necessary to store those effects, they shall arrange for and authorize the payment of the cost in respect of those household and personal effects, of:

1. packing and crating,
2. transportation to the nearest adequate storage facilities,
3. storage charges,
4. insurance,
5. transportation from the place of storage to the place of duty or the point of origin of that employee, and
6. unpacking and uncrating.

4.4.3 The deputy head shall, upon receipt of evidence of storage payment, authorize the reimbursement to employees of storage costs incurred for up to two private motor vehicles that they own at the time of assignment, or replacements for vehicles placed in storage at the time of assignment, in accordance with the NJC Relocation Directive, when employees are assigned to headquarters where:

1. employees at the headquarters do not normally use private motor vehicles, and
2. the employer does not ship vehicles.

4.4.4 Notwithstanding subsection 11.8.3 of the NJC Relocation Directive, the authority for payment of the costs referred to in this section shall end on the expiration of:

1. the month in which employees should have taken possession of their goods, or
2. the third month after the termination of employment.

4.4.5 Deputy heads shall, not later than five years after the household and personal effects were placed in storage pursuant to this section, review the matter and may authorize payment of the costs of the continuation of the storage, or the shipment of the household and personal effects to the employee.

4.5 Delay of Dependant's Relocation

4.5.1 Subject to deputy head approval of a delay of dependant's relocation, when employees will be occupying fully furnished accommodations, the total of:

1. the weights of the effects that may be transported for the dependant(s), and
2. the weights of all other effects transported pursuant to this part,

shall not exceed the limits referred to in section 4.3.

4.6 Delayed Shipment of Household Effects

4.6.1 Subject to this section, when persons who have not formerly been eligible for the provision of this directive:

1. are assigned to an isolated post for a period of one year or more, and
2. have been reimbursed for the transportation of household and personal effects, the aggregate weight of which is less than the limits referred to in section 4.3, they shall, at any time during the first 12 months of their assignment, be reimbursed for the transportation costs of additional household and personal effects, if the balance of the term of their assignment to that isolated post is for six months or more at the date of shipment of those additional effects.

4.6.2 The total weight of the effects that are transported, pursuant to this section and section 4.3, shall not exceed the limits referred to in section 4.3.

4.7 Excess Luggage

4.7.1 Subject to section 4.3, deputy heads shall direct that employees be reimbursed for the extra charges actually incurred for transporting excess luggage of a weight that is not more than 90 kg when the deputy heads are satisfied that:

1. employees require certain parts of their household and personal effects on the date of their arrival at their headquarters, and
2. those effects will not arrive at their headquarters on or before the date of their arrival there.