National COVID-19 Update – March 31, 2020

Commissioner's broadcast sent March 31, 2020

Wow, I can't believe we've arrived at the end of March! Over the last few weeks, we've been focused on getting our command structures and systems reconfigured to handle a situation unlike any we've ever seen. Now that we have some of the foundational pieces in place at a National level to support our Divisions, it is time for the balance to shift from setup, to maintaining and expanding support for the front line.

On Friday, I told you that we were announcing publicly our first positive cases of COVID-19 within the RCMP. I know that people may be worried when they hear this – for their colleagues, for themselves and for their families.

When a case is discovered, please rest assured that we follow strict public health protocols which include identifying and notifying anyone who may have been exposed to the virus. This is why we require all employees to self report any potential COVID symptoms or exposure – so we can take all the necessary steps to reduce further risk by notifying and taking care of others who may have been exposed.

Everywhere, we are taking precautions to reduce exposure to the virus from having everyone work from home who can, to acquiring and distributing personal protective equipment to where it is needed most, to stringent cleaning and disinfection of our fleet, facilities and equipment.

The past few weeks have also been challenging for our families. They worry about their loved-ones being exposed. Please take the time to read about all the steps we're taking to protect health and safety and to share this information with your families. Make sure they know about the resources we are posting on RCMP.ca and the excellent public health information available on Canada.ca. We can't do our work without the support of our families, and ultimately we all want what they want – for you to be safe and healthy at the end of your work day.

Shift schedule changes

Under normal circumstances, we must provide 28 days notice to change shift schedules for Regular Members, however, under special circumstances, policy allows us to make changes in 72 hours. The COVID-19 pandemic is considered an extreme circumstance or high-risk situation that may require members to be redeployed and shift schedules adjusted to meet exceptional operational needs.

Where a redeployment is ordered by a Commanding Officer or other delegated level, the member's home unit work schedule is no longer in effect 72 hours after the start of the redeployment and ultimately becomes the new home unit schedule. For guidance on how to enter and record time in TEAM for various COVID-19 scenarios, please speak with your manager.

Pay and compensation

National Pay Operations (NPO) is working hard to address any challenges or concerns you have with your pay, however, like many other units, they are working with a reduced workforce. As a result, there may be delays when calling with questions, or in the processing of additional payments such as acting pay or salary increases. NPO is currently focusing on priority cases including Discharges, Engagements, Leave Without Pay (Maternity/Parental Top-ups), and Return from Leave Without Pay.

For more information, please speak with your manager.

Stay informed

• Please review our on-line resources – we are adding new information every day. I urge managers to review the COVID-19 Infoweb site daily and ensure that you share them with your teams.

For those without access to the Infoweb or ROSS e-mail (including families):

• Our new external-facing resource on RCMP.ca
• RCMP corporate social media accounts

In these early weeks, we have put some big changes in place to deal with this extraordinary situation, and we are now finding our rhythm. I am confident that our planning efforts will pay off. Together, we can "plank the curve" and do our part to support the rest of the country. I will be sending out a little video to thank everyone and ask you to "stay the course." Having made the video on my own at home, I can certainly understand how tough it is for those working at home without all their usual tools and resources at their fingertips! Check out my twitter feed for a link. Please, continue to follow the direction of our health experts and authorities and keep yourselves and those around you safe and healthy. Stay strong, stay flexible and keep doin' what you're doin', because you are making a difference!!!

Brenda Lucki
Commissioner

Date modified:

2020-04-01