Financial Administration Manual

IB 760.01 Employee Duty Travel

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Effective: January 29, 2018
Applicable FAM Policies: 760 - Travel
Applicability: GNWT Departments and Public Agencies

INTERPRETATION

Duty travel must be economical and maximize the duty traveler’s productive work time.

Prohibitions

A duty traveler shall not:

  • Travel by motorcycle.
  • Use unregulated vacation rental accommodations (i.e. Air BnB, HomeAway, Flipkey, VRBO, HouseTrip, etc…)
  • Use unregulated ridesharing ( i.e. Uber, Lyft, TheRide, etc…)  

Responsibilities of approving officers and duty travelers 

The approving officer shall:

  1. Authorize the travel plan before travel begins:
    • Dates of travel.
    • The mode and class of transportation.
    • Accommodation type.
    • Any use of rental vehicles.
  2. Ensure compliance with Government standards.

Emergency travel may be authorized via other means of documented approval (i.e. email) prior to travel expenditure if in the public interest.  

Trip changes or other related expenses that occur during travel may be authorized by the applicable expenditure authority if in the public interest.

The traveler shall:

  • Obtain authorization before travelling;
  • Safeguard any cash advanced.
  • Submit travel expense claim within ten (10) days after completion of the trip.

The approving officer shall do the following after duty travel ends:

  • Ensure the presence of all required supporting receipts.
  • Ensure travel expenditure follow IB 760.03
  • Ensure all cash advances are cleared.

Authorization for Duty Travel

Only Deputy Heads, Regional Superintendents and the Chief Executive Officers of public agencies may act as expenditure authority on their own duty travel and expenses within pre-approved overall duty travel plans.

Duty travel may begin in one fiscal year and end in the next. Travel commencing in the old fiscal year is to be charged to the old year.

A duty traveler who receives authorization to extend travel time during normal working hours shall record it as annual leave unless the extra time is approved and cost-effective for the Government. Extending travel time must not result in additional travel costs for the Government.

Insurance Plans and Compensation

An employee on duty travel is considered to be at work and is eligible for the same entitlements, protection and coverage as they are when in the workplace.

Travel Outside the Northwest Territories and Outside Canada

A traveler must receive documented Deputy Head authorization for duty travel outside the Northwest Territories.

Deputy Head blanket approval may be provided for frequent duty travel outside the Northwest Territories. The approval letter must be attached to the expense claim when it is submitted.

All duty travel outside Canada must receive documented approval by the applicable Minister.

The allowable per diem rate in a foreign country is the same government per diem rate as for travel within Canada. The traveler has the option to utilize the Treasury Board of Canada per diem rate applicable to the foreign travel in that country if approved in advance by the Minister. If necessity creates a daily meal expense greater than the allowable per diem rate, reimbursement of any greater expense must be supported by substantiating receipts.

Cash Advance for Travel

Cash may be advanced to a duty traveler for duty travel expenses if it is not possible to use a Government credit card or if it is not appropriate or reasonable to expect the duty traveler to pay his or her own travel expenses. The amount of the advance must not exceed reasonably expected expenses or be issued sooner than deemed necessary.

Overnight Stops and Lengthy Travel

An overnight stop may be authorized in advance if:

i) it will occur after nine continuous hours of travel and/or work; or

ii) it maximizes cost effectiveness or the traveler’s productive work time.

Travel time begins ninety minutes (two hours for international travel) before the scheduled departure time and ends one hour after arrival at the trip destination or community of overnight stop.  A duty traveler must take the first interconnecting carrier available and may not count any intentional delay as continuous travel time.

A public officer holding the office of Minister, Deputy Minister, Clerk of the Legislative Assembly or President of the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation may travel by business class when total in-flight duty travel time exceeds four hours.

Minister or Deputy Heads may authorize business class travel for staff:

  • Who regularly travel on duty more than three times per month; or
  • When total in flight duty travel time exceeds four hours; or
  • Where the travel is in the public interest as approved by the Minister.

A suitable rest period may be authorized between arrival at the work destination and the start of work.

Travel Status of Less Than One Day

Duty travel beginning and ending on the same calendar day entitlement is only for meals necessarily occurring away from home. No incidental duty travel expenses may be claimed.

A Government employee who travels daily in the normal course of work is not considered on duty travel.

Government Vehicles

A driver on duty travel must use a Government vehicle where practical, and may only use a Government vehicle for incidental personal reasons.

Rental Vehicles

A duty traveler may use a rental vehicle if practical, economical, and authorized in advance. The most economical vehicle must be selected that is appropriate for the intended use as approved by the approving officer. The travel expense claim must justify why the traveler did not select the most economical method.

A Government Credit Card must be used to pay for approved rental vehicle expenses.

A duty traveler must decline the Collision Deductible Waiver (CDW) offered by the rental company. The Government has insurance coverage for rented duty travel vehicles and the duty traveler must not be reimbursed for the cost of any supplementary insurance.

A duty traveler involved in an accident with their rental vehicle must report the accident within 48 hours to the Risk Management and Insurance Division of the Department of Finance and to a Customer Service Agent (US Bank) using the Government Credit Card prescribed telephone number if the Government Credit Card was used to rent the vehicle.

Privately Owned Vehicles

Privately owned vehicle use (excluding privately owned off-road vehicles) may be authorized if practical, economical, and acceptable to the duty traveler and the approving officer.  Reimbursement for all private vehicle expenses will be limited to the rate specified in the collective agreement. 

The Government assumes no liability arising from a duty traveler’s use of a privately owned vehicle.  No one shall approve duty travel by privately owned vehicle before obtaining proof that the vehicle is licensed and insured for the purposed trip and the owner permits its use for that purpose.

A passenger on duty travel in a private vehicle must be reimbursed for vehicle expenses if the driver is not eligible for reimbursement and the mode of transportation is approved in advance.

Off-Road, Remote and Small Vessel Travel

Duty travel by off-road vehicle or small vessel must be authorized in advance, whether the vehicle or vessel is rented, chartered, privately owned, or Government owned. If a private vehicle or vessel other than a commercially licensed water taxi or ferry is to be borrowed, rented, or chartered, the duty travel approval officer shall obtain, before travel begins, proof that:

a) The vehicle or vessel is licensed (if a license is required);

b) The owner carries a minimum of $1,000,000 of public liability insurance coverage on the vehicle or vessel; and,

c) The owner permits the use of the vehicle or vessel for the purpose.

If more than one duty traveler is transported at one time by the vehicle or vessel, public liability insurance of $1,000,000 may not be sufficient. Refer to the Risk Management and Insurance Division of the Department of Finance for insurance amount requirements and conditions.

Any all-terrain vehicle used in duty travel must have four or more wheels. The duty traveler must wear an approved safety helmet when riding an off-road vehicle and an approved personal floatation device at all times in a small vessel. Vehicles and vessels must be mechanically sound and must be operated safely and efficiently.

Insurance, repairs and ownership costs for privately owned off-road vehicles and vessels used in duty travel are the owner’s responsibility. Reimbursement for duty travel expenses incurred in the use of privately owned off-road vehicles must be limited to direct operating costs (e.g., fuel, oil, and towing). Reimbursement claims require the duty traveler to submit receipts.

Use of Private Aircraft

Privately owned or rented aircraft, may be used for duty travel when it is considered both economical and practical, and authorized by the Minister or Deputy Head of the department or public agency.

Employees authorized to use and pilot private aircraft for Government business shall provide the following requirements at least 5 business days prior to travel to the satisfaction of Risk Management and Insurance Division of the Department of Finance:

  • Documentation indicating the pilot is properly certified and rated for the flight involved;
  • A description of the aircraft to be used and a copy of the airworthiness certificate;
  • A full certified copy of the aircraft owner's liability and hull insurance policies (not just a Certificate of Insurance) that include a waiver of subrogation against the Government of the Northwest Territories for any hull damage. If no hull insurance is carried the owner must sign an agreement with the Government of the Northwest Territories waiving the right of recovery for any hull damage; and,
  • Waiver of Duty Travel Accident Insurance.

Employees requesting the use of private aircraft shall be reimbursed the lesser of the following amounts:

  1. The prevailing government rate per kilometre:
    • based on direct road distance if there is road access; or
    • based on air distance if there is no road access;
  2. Reimbursement of the cost of renting or leasing an aircraft;
  3. The actual cost of fuel and oil(receipts required); or,
  4. The cost of equivalent economy airfare if scheduled airline service is available.

No passengers or cargo other than voluntary passengers or cargo required for the business travel may be transported in private aircraft piloted by an employee on Government business.