Wednesday, June 04, 2025
Over the past two years, AMAPCEO and five other public sector unions have been advocating for a review of and immediate increase to both meal expense and kilometric reimbursement rates in the Ontario Public Service (OPS) Travel, Meal and Hospitality Expenses Directive, and a commitment to establish an automatic review and adjustment process for these rates going forward.
Though the Directive is non-negotiable, bargaining agents have taken the position that the Directive has a negative impact on those employees who travel routinely in the performance of their job duties. Simply put, the performance of one’s job should not be at their personal expense.
Despite the urging of all OPS bargaining agents, the OPS Employer recently communicated that no review will occur at any point in the immediate future
Their refusal to review and revise the Directive is both incredibly frustrating and patently unfair. Kilometric reimbursement rates were last updated almost 20 years ago (2006), and since that time, Consumer Price Index has increased by over 40 per cent. In the eight years since meal expense reimbursement rates were last updated in 2017, inflation has eroded the value of these reimbursements by over 20 per cent.
Members who travel as part of their work duties are often left unfairly absorbing the difference between the reimbursement rates and actual costs of meals and travel out of their own pocket.
In response, AMAPCEO is strongly urging members in the OPS:
- not to use their personal vehicles for work-related travel, and
- to seek pre-approval for meal overages for all meals eaten in the course of work-related travel, including any relevant information about dietary restrictions, etc.
Over the past few years, with the reduction of government pool vehicles, employees within the OPS have been increasingly encouraged by their managers to use their personal vehicles for work travel.
According to the Travel, Meal, and Hospitality Directive, when travel by car is required, “the most practical and economic option” should be selected from among the following choices (in order of preference): government vehicle, rental vehicle, and personal vehicle.
Given the rising costs, it is no longer economical for an employee to use their own personal vehicle, and as a result, AMAPCEO discourages its members from doing so.
Likewise, meal reimbursement rates are woefully inadequate province-wide. Employees have the right to request discretionary pre-approval for anticipated meal overages from their manager. These requests do not need to be based solely on dietary needs—discretionary consideration can be applied in instances where approved meal rates are inaccessible or insufficient.
Reimbursement rates for both meals and travel are set by the Travel, Meal, and Hospitality Directive and are outside the purview of bargaining.
However, if you experience any issues regarding work travel, we urge you to contact a Workplace Representative.