Commencing January 1, 2020, the vacation year will be calculated as the period beginning on the 1st day of January and ending the 31st day of December of the same year. Employees shall receive their full vacation entitlement effective January 1st of each year. Each year's vacation must normally be taken before December 31st of that vacation year. A vacation week will consist of seven (7) consecutive calendar days.

Note: To accommodate the transition to the Bell vacation year commencing January 1, 2020, from May 1, 2019, to December 31, 2019, employees shall accrue vacation which shall be placed into a Surplus Vacation Account which must be used prior to December 31, 2022.

An employee absent from duty with or without pay for an accumulated period exceeding eight (8) weeks, excluding vacation, maternity/parental leave, on duty accidents during the twelve (12) months previous to December 31st, will have his/her vacation period reduced proportionately for each week of absence in excess of the first eight (8) weeks. Less than one-half of the working days worked in a week will constitute a week of absence for vacation credits, [five (5) working days average week].

When a Company holiday is observed within an employee's annual vacation he/she shall be granted one (1) additional day vacation. The additional day must be taken as mutually arranged by the employee's Manager.

An employee living within a location having access by road and who receives Remoteness Allowance, shall be allowed two (2) additional days' vacation credits in addition to his/her regular vacation credits. The credits will only be allowed if the two (2) days are taken with at least five (5) regular vacation credits and if the employee leaves the Remoteness Allowance area. Should the employee not leave the Remoteness Allowance area, or terminate employment, the additional days credit shall not apply.

An employee living within a location having no access by road and who receives Remoteness Allowance, shall be allowed one (1) week's vacation credit in addition to his/her regular vacation credits. The credits will only be allowed if the one additional week is taken with at least five (5) regular vacation credits and if the employee leaves the Remoteness Allowance area. However, should the employee not leave the Remoteness Allowance area, or terminate employment, the vacation days credit shall not apply.

The additional vacation days for Remoteness Allowance areas will be granted one time only in each vacation year.

An employee who resigns, is laid off or terminated will be allowed vacation, or pay in lieu thereof, in accordance with the vacation credits he/she has earned but not received.

An employee who resigns or is terminated, who used more vacation in a vacation year than was earned, shall have the vacation overpayment deducted from his/her final pay.

An employee who is laid off or who departs the Company through a VRTIP, who used more vacation in a vacation year than was earned, shall not have the vacation overpayment deducted from his/her final pay.

An employee who is retiring shall be allowed to take vacation that he/she has earned but has not taken prior to the effective retirement date. An employee who retires under the MTS Pension Plan (regular retirement) or who retires for health reasons (disability retirement under the said Plan) shall have the option of working until his/her actual retirement date and receive pay in lieu of earned vacation.

An employee who has less than two (2) years of Net Credited Service as of December 31st, will be allowed .192 of a day as vacation with pay during the first and second vacation years for each week of service as of December 31st of the respective year. Two and one half (2 1/2) or more days worked in a week will constitute a week of service for vacation credits. When computing such vacation credits, fractions of less than one-half will be dropped, fractions of one-half or more will be considered a full day.

An employee who has completed two (2) years of Net Credited Service as of December 31st, will be allowed three (3) weeks of vacation with pay in the following year and each year thereafter.

An employee will, in the vacation year in which his/her sixth (6) net credited anniversary date falls and in each succeeding vacation year, be allowed four (4) weeks' vacation with pay.

An employee will, in the vacation year in which his/her fourteenth (14) net credited anniversary date falls and in each succeeding vacation year, be allowed five (5) weeks' vacation with pay.

An employee will, in the vacation year in which his/her twenty-first (21) net credited anniversary date falls and in each succeeding vacation year, be allowed six (6) weeks' vacation with pay.

An employee hired prior to July 29, 2013 will, in the vacation year in which his/her thirty-fourth (34) net credited anniversary date falls and in each succeeding vacation year be allowed seven (7) weeks' vacation with pay.

Vacations in excess of three (3) weeks may only be taken consecutively between November 1^st and April 30^th or as arranged by the employee’s Manager.

Vacations will be arranged in accordance with the requirements of service. Due to the nature of the Company's business, there are times when it is impossible to grant vacation to some employees. It follows, therefore, that in the scheduling referred to in the foregoing paragraphs, the Company reserves the right to deny any dates requested by employees concerned.

Where the Company denies a request for vacation, the employee shall be provided with alternate time(s) during which the vacation can be taken.

As soon as possible in the previous calendar year but no later than January 1st, vacations will be scheduled by work groups, giving due consideration to the length of service of employees and employees' preference insofar as the exigencies of service will permit. In any case of dispute, the Director will make the final decision. Any such decision must be reasonable.

Annual vacations shall not be accumulated over a period of years and then taken consecutively. Each year's vacation must normally be taken before December 31st of that vacation year. Where exceptional circumstances arise, the Company may defer vacation, or at its sole discretion, may approve the carry over of vacation to the following vacation year. Vacations of one (1) week to three (3) weeks will normally commence on a Monday and will be taken in one unbroken period, unless under special arrangements with the department.

When an employee is taken ill, meets with an accident, is confined by quarantine regulations, or is called for jury duty:

(a)  Before leaving to go on vacation, where the employee is prevented from taking the vacation, the Company will re-schedule the vacation at a later date in the same vacation year or in exceptional cases, in the next vacation year;

(b)  After leaving work to go on vacation, the employee's vacation will not be re-scheduled.