VFR in Yellowknife??

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outflying8
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VFR in Yellowknife??

Post by outflying8 »

Hey Everyone,

Hoping to get a VFR slot for next fall... but I will admit the locations are pretty bad....I will make whatever needs to happen work, and some locations are less crappy than others....but I am scared out of my wits about getting yellowknife (whitehorse would be better) mostly because of the absolutely horrendous cost of living, We won't be able to afford $600k+ for a house and because of our family we need something along the lines of what we currently have (90's bi-level with 3 bed 2 bath upstairs and 2 bed 1 bath in basement)....

So my question is, does anyone know if NavCan offers any kind of housing stipend/assistance if you are one of the poor souls selected for Yellowknife? If so, how much? If not, has anyone moved up there with a family and how did you handle it?

Thanks
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moosetracks
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Re: VFR in Yellowknife??

Post by moosetracks »

outflying8 wrote: Tue Dec 31, 2019 1:55 pm Hey Everyone,

Hoping to get a VFR slot for next fall... but I will admit the locations are pretty bad....I will make whatever needs to happen work, and some locations are less crappy than others....but I am scared out of my wits about getting yellowknife (whitehorse would be better) mostly because of the absolutely horrendous cost of living, We won't be able to afford $600k+ for a house and because of our family we need something along the lines of what we currently have (90's bi-level with 3 bed 2 bath upstairs and 2 bed 1 bath in basement)....

So my question is, does anyone know if NavCan offers any kind of housing stipend/assistance if you are one of the poor souls selected for Yellowknife? If so, how much? If not, has anyone moved up there with a family and how did you handle it?

Thanks
Here is a link to the latest collective agreement: https://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/agreements-co ... .aspx?id=2

I am not sure what AI level VFR controllers are for northern YEG FIR locations but I'm pretty sure YEG IFR are AI-06 so its likely maybe 03 or 04 to give you an idea of base salary. I think there is a premium but I'm not sure how much and don't remember coming across it when I was doing my own digging. I do believe that they give a certain amount for travel each year as a supplement to your vacation time/pay to account for the increase in cost for getting to and from the more remote locations but I think it's basically an average amount meant to cover getting back to somewhere like Edmonton or Calgary and I'm not sure if it is only paid out if you actually travel or not.

More to the point I know information is power, but based on my recent experience and probably your past experience you will have plenty of time to make these decisions IF you get an offer. With an offer 4 months before the course, 6 months of coursework in YEG, you have almost a year to plan things out and save up for the move. The "only" difficult part would be during OJT when you are making training salary but maybe best to not buy a house or move the family up until you check out and you know it's a sure thing. If something like housing was a deal breaker, especially making 6 figures, then you might want to reconsider things a bit more? You are correct though that you are pretty much guaranteed Yellowknife, Whitehorse, or Fort Mac as a first posting and my guess is you probably wouldn't get a choice...
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kevenv
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Re: VFR in Yellowknife??

Post by kevenv »

moosetracks wrote: Tue Dec 31, 2019 3:38 pmHere is a link to the latest collective agreement: https://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/agreements-co ... .aspx?id=2
That link is not the latest collective agreement between CATCA and NavCanada. It is between The federal government and CATCA representing a small number of controllers still working for the government in various capacities.

Edited to add:
Yellowknife and Fort Mac are grade 2 towers, Whitehorse is grade 1
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NJ
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Re: VFR in Yellowknife??

Post by NJ »

YZF has company housing provided that you may use. I was up there 10 years ago but I paid $700 (utilities included) a month for a 2 bedroom apartment and 3 bedroom townhouses were $1050 a month. Looking at the current rates its $780 for an apartment and $1266 for a townhouse. If you choose to live in your own accommodation, a subsidy will be provided. YXY and YMM don't have company housing, but have a smaller subsidy.

YZF is a great place to start your career. I didn't have any money going up there and felt it was a great place to get established.
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outflying8
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Re: VFR in Yellowknife??

Post by outflying8 »

NJ wrote: Tue Dec 31, 2019 5:22 pm YZF has company housing provided that you may use. I was up there 10 years ago but I paid $700 (utilities included) a month for a 2 bedroom apartment and 3 bedroom townhouses were $1050 a month. Looking at the current rates its $780 for an apartment and $1266 for a townhouse. If you choose to live in your own accommodation, a subsidy will be provided. YXY and YMM don't have company housing, but have a smaller subsidy.

YZF is a great place to start your career. I didn't have any money going up there and felt it was a great place to get established.
That is so relieving to hear my goodness lol. Thanks so much for the info.
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outflying8
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Re: VFR in Yellowknife??

Post by outflying8 »

kevenv wrote: Tue Dec 31, 2019 4:02 pm
moosetracks wrote: Tue Dec 31, 2019 3:38 pmHere is a link to the latest collective agreement: https://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/agreements-co ... .aspx?id=2
That link is not the latest collective agreement between CATCA and NavCanada. It is between The federal government and CATCA representing a small number of controllers still working for the government in various capacities.

Edited to add:
Yellowknife and Fort Mac are grade 2 towers, Whitehorse is grade 1
Thanks Keven!

Im still confused as to which towers get which premiums... the last collective I could find publicly available was 2013 expiry and it still had the OFP on it (which as I understand was the old premium that new employees don't get) ... the order for the ATC premium seems to have flipped on it (the OFP had the 1 as the lowest premium and going up from their, the ATC has 1 as the highest premium).

Thanks for all the contributions!
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NJ
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Re: VFR in Yellowknife??

Post by NJ »

OFP and the old salary tables are in the agreement just in case they are needed for calculations. There may be some people still on those salary scales. The info of who is paid what is not published because it does change with review.

My advice to you is when applying to not worry about the salary differences between the units. All the pay is decent to start and gets better. If you are fretting over the exact salaries then you aren't giving the full effort to the course material and application process. It takes full focus on being successful in applying, so work on that first and the compensation comes later!
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