pay scale in ontario and quebec...

ajaxgirl · Feb 17, 2005

Thanks Betsy,
I am an agency nurse at the moment so I just have peripheral knowledge of the current situation. I was Barganing union President for ONA when I worked LTC, and so I was more current at the time.
I am not unionized at the moment (agency) so I do get to negotiate my salary and work out my own schedule. I get 50% of my benefits paid for if I work 24 hr/week.

Do you get paid in leiu of benefits in LTC? Just wondering.

Teachchildren123 · Sep 10, 2006

Before I came to Montreal I had about 2 1/2 years of experience. HR asked me for a total of hours for year to make the equivalence of experience here. They recognized 2 years and 285 calendar days and I qualified for step 9, we get ICU premium and a bunch of differentials, but of course paying ~ 35% of salary on taxes brings my pay low, but is not bad. For sure the majority of the time we are understaff but we manage.

This is very good that HR recognized your experience for leveling your salary. Would you talk more about how theses steps works, how many is there, how long it takes to go from one step to the other, what is the payscale associated with the steps?

Any web links to show?

Are you aware of any hospitals in Quebec city with 12 hours shifts? :nurse:

Anyone working at Jeffery Hale Hospital in Quebec city? I would love to hear more about the only anglophone hospital in that city.

Thanks for answering!

nurse_nightingale · Sep 11, 2006

The top rate for RN is $38/h. What about nurses in administrative positions such as managers, educators? Anybody know what they get paid?

Sarah, RNBScN · Sep 17, 2006

RN and BScN rate of pay...depends on the hospital you work for and what your local collective agreement has in the contract. The facility I work at, doesn't pay them different. It does however, pay clinical nurse specialist or educators, difference of 2-3 dollars. They are master prepared though. I know an RNFA who is making 40. 18 per hour at our hospital. They paid for her education and set her up with a lap top. We have a shortage of physician to assist our surgeons and she fills in the gaps. She isn't certified so I thought that was presumptious of the hospital to do that, but good for her. I don't know how that would hold up in court if there was ever a problem or complication. Interesting!

Teachchildren123 · Sep 2, 2008

HI guys! I just went to Quebec and asked to see the director of human ressources, they gave me an appointment immediately: "We are in desperate need of nurses!", he told me. I was very happy to hear that, since I was told by non-healthcare workers how difficult it was to obtain a permanent position in Quebec. May be this is a way to do natural elimination.... you know what I mean?

To make it short, I was pleased with the meeting, the director of nsg made me visit their ICU... "cute and simple", 5 beds! 2 RNs no ancillary staff... and a typical DT pt right in front of the station.

Some things never changes no matter where you are!

But very clean!!!

Well, I was very disappointed when I learned that even with my 8 years of experience, which 6 in ICU, my salary would be about 24$ and some change!!!!!

OUTRAGEOUS! :banghead:

It's a 15:jester::imbar:sniff: :eek: :devil: :bluecry1: $ lost and hour from what I make here in NY!

Hopefully, the director looked at the wrong page in his book of salary! :yeah:

I will update this hopefully by next year (if the OIIQ's executive committee wants me to go for their board exam in March) My future is really in their hands (the OIIQ that is).

The way things are going in that office is a totally full subjet for a thread. But I do not dare criticizing until I recognized an RN in Qc!!!!!

Sarah, are you talking about another province that Quebec when you say that the salary varies from institution to another, because, during my interview I was told that the salary is the same no matter where in Qc.

Anyone as an idea how the echelon works? I am still trying to figure out and plan, what I will be making with 8 years of nursing, specialized in ICU,... :nurse:

What do you get for shift differential, vacation, pension... :bow:

Thanks for the answers!

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Sep 2, 2008

According to the cross country wage comparison prepared by the Canadian Fedreation of Nurses' Unions, la Federation des Infirmiers du Quebec scale is "FIQ:

($ per hour minimum) $21.410
($ per hour maximum) $31.890
(annual income minimum) $40497.015
(annual income maximum) $60319.935
(number of steps or echelons) 12
(expiry date of contract) 3/31/2010
(annual hours) 1891.50"

This means that the quoted hourly amount of $24 is perhaps a little low, but certainly possible, since the expiry date of the contract is till 18 months away. There are 12 echelons but only ($10.48 difference between the top and the bottom). Much depends on how they credit your years of experience. There is no premium for nurses working in ICUs, ORs, ERs or any other spcialty area. It's all the same.

Shift differentials are quoted as:

"FIQ

(nights)0-5 years $2.08/hour
5-10 years 4% of basic salary
(evenings) 4% of basic salary
(wekends) 4% of basic salary
(reimbursement of professional fees) No provision"

Statutory holidays are paid at the basic rate unless you cannot receive the time back (a day off) within the following 4 weeks. For Christmas and New Year's Day, they have one or the other, with five consecutive days off around the one not worked.

Vacation is apportioned as follows:

Less than one year of employment = 1 2/3 days per month

1 to 16 years = 20 vacation days

17 to 18 years = 21 days

19 to 20 years = 22 days

21 to 22 years = 23 days

23 to 24 years = 24 days

25 years to retirement = 25 days

Sick leave is accrued at the rate of 0.8 days per month. Annual maximum of 9.6 days. Unused days paid out annually. Can use sick days for 100% pay for up to 5 days per illness. 80% pay from day 6 to 104 weeks (short term disability).

FIQ does not share any information about its pension plan or other benefits. Quebec has a provincial pension plam for which the employer will deduct premiums from each cheque. I'm not sure if Canada Pension Plan premiums are also deducted; my husband works for the federal government and when we lived in Quebec last he paid into both.

Teachchildren123 · Sep 2, 2008

Thanks for precious infos Janfrn,

you are always so ressourceful!

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Sep 2, 2008

I'm just pulling this stuff off the Web... and the stickies I've posted about these things.

oneLoneNurse · May 8, 2009

Thanks for the information about vacation. I am awaiting an IT offer from a large hospital in NJ and want to use for negotiating.

missjamie · Oct 13, 2010

When I went for my interview at the Jewish General Hospital, the interviewer was unable to give me an idea of what the wage would start at. I thought that was crazy, because it should be a key thing, near the end of an interview that should be discussed. The numbers above worry me! $21 and hour!! I only have 1 year of nursing behind me and I do have my BScN. Does anyone know first hand? Thats alot less than my boyfreind makes as a construction worker in montreal! :S

OttawaRPN · Oct 13, 2010

When I went for my interview at the Jewish General Hospital, the interviewer was unable to give me an idea of what the wage would start at. I thought that was crazy, because it should be a key thing, near the end of an interview that should be discussed. The numbers above worry me! $21 and hour!! I only have 1 year of nursing behind me and I do have my BScN. Does anyone know first hand? Thats alot less than my boyfreind makes as a construction worker in montreal! :S

There is no reason the interviewer at JGH couldn't give you your starting pay rate.

As has already been said, Quebec nurses are some of the lowest paid in the country. Not sure why, but Quebec always has to do things differently anyway. The cost of living especially with housing IS considerably lower in Quebec, as well as lower income tax.

I live in Ottawa and a very high percentage of Quebec nurses cross the border to work here for this very reason, especially at the one french hospital in the city's east end.

I'm assuming all the unilingual Quebec nurses have to meet the french requirement enforced by the OIIQ.

Pediatric Critical Care Columnist · Oct 14, 2010

There actually is a very good reason why the interviewer couldn't give the starting pay rate. There is an agreement in place between the nurses' unions that credit be given for previous experience, and the determination of that is provided by human resources, not the hiring unit. There has to be supporting documentation of that experience before HR will make the determination, so there's no way an interviewer can state with any certainty where a person will end up. The best the interviewer could offer is a range.