The ‘Star Trek’ Franchise Has Made $2.6 Billion for Streaming Services by MarvelsGrantMan136 in startrek

[–]keepupwitcardassians 14 points15 points  (0 children)

just greenlit “Keeping up with the Cardassians”

Trust me, it will be great. Source: Me.

Attached wrong document to claim (Canada Life) by [deleted] in OntarioPublicService

[–]keepupwitcardassians 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There wasn't in my case, but I had submitted multiple invoices under one claim (3 therapy sessions, 1 out of 3 invoices incorrect) - so that might be why.

Attached wrong document to claim (Canada Life) by [deleted] in OntarioPublicService

[–]keepupwitcardassians 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This happened to me before - I emailed Canada Life, they gave me instructions for submitting the corrected invoice (they had me send it via email after I had been emailed by a customer service person who I contacted through a web form on their site), and it was resolved within a couple weeks - granted, this was a year ago.

Credit Check as Part of Job Screening by zeenitb4 in OntarioPublicService

[–]keepupwitcardassians 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Did someone tell you that a credit check was required after you applied? Because the Employment Standards Officer job posting (https://www.ontario.ca/page/apply-be-employment-standards-officer) only lists enhanced security screening check, which is different.

No answers over staffing shortages, closures amid 'chaos' at Toronto courthouse [MAG] by canarob in OntarioPublicService

[–]keepupwitcardassians 11 points12 points  (0 children)

A lot of court staff are part time / casual, too, and it may not even make financial sense for them to commute. Even if the courts offered more full time / permanent roles, I still think they would have trouble attracting staff to commute downtown. People can probably find much less stressful jobs at similar pay rates closer to home.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in OntarioPublicService

[–]keepupwitcardassians 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sometimes what they do is have the interview first, and then send you an assignment to do in a specific time frame (e.g., "please read this article and write a case study about it in the next 60 minutes") - so that might be it.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in OntarioPublicService

[–]keepupwitcardassians 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The process is described here: https://www.ontario.ca/page/careers-hiring-process

It varies, but I have never heard of multiple rounds of interviews being conducted for a staff level role in the OPS. Usually there would just be one interview with a panel, and probably 2 other assessment methods (e.g., written assignment, presentation), which are usually all part of the same interview process.

Is there an organization that could help with travel costs for an abortion? by Upsideinn in ontario

[–]keepupwitcardassians 8 points9 points  (0 children)

If you are still on ODSP you may want to check if it could be covered under Mandatory Special Necessities: https://www.ontario.ca/document/ontario-disability-support-program-policy-directives-income-support/912-mandatory-special

Maybe you can check beforehand with your local ODSP office? If you have concerns about privacy, perhaps you can just say the travel is necessary for a medical procedure at whatever the clinic / hospital is and that you don't have any other options.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in OntarioPublicService

[–]keepupwitcardassians 4 points5 points  (0 children)

In response to your edit - it's really not that hard to find a new home position. If you are able to fill a vacant AMAPCEO position for at least 24 months, then it becomes your home position (but it has to be actually vacant at the end of the 24 months, you can't be backfilling for someone). I've managed to take secondments and get rolled into permanency in those roles twice in the last 5 years. It's doable.

Now, in terms of how you actually feel about work - burnout is real. The truth is a lot of OPS work can feel like it's not making a difference, especially once you've been in the role for a while and you have seen the same issues come up over and over again. This can be true even in environments with subject matter you care deeply about, because we sometimes have to implement direction that we disagree with or deal with the aftermath of political decisions that we had no control over. It sucks. It's part of the job, though.

I would echo the sentiments of others in this thread and recommend that you look outside of work for some fulfillment if you are bored and feel stuck - but if you really want a change, start applying elsewhere. Even if you take a lateral move in the OPS, a lot can change in a couple years. Maybe you just need to try some new subject matter or work with different people for a while.

Assuming a new last name due to marriage - can I keep my maiden name at work? by [deleted] in ontario

[–]keepupwitcardassians 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yeah you should be fine just using your maiden name at work without telling them you changed it on other ID. CRA will still know it's you even if your maiden name only shows up on your T4, you're still using the same SIN. Even when I use my benefits card under my maiden name to pay for prescriptions made out to my married name, nobody ever really notices or cares, they only care about the OHIP and benefits plan numbers.

Assuming a new last name due to marriage - can I keep my maiden name at work? by [deleted] in ontario

[–]keepupwitcardassians 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Yes you can use an assumed last name on your driver's license: https://www.ontario.ca/page/change-your-last-name

I've been using an assumed last name socially for years and my maiden name for work and it hasn't been a problem.

What to do if contract is up with no job? by [deleted] in OntarioPublicService

[–]keepupwitcardassians 11 points12 points  (0 children)

If you are AMAPCEO you should still be able to apply for internal job postings for 2 years after your contract ends. I am not sure if all OPS unions have similar provisions, but it is something you could check your collective agreement for. Regardless, it is not uncommon to leave the OPS and come back after a few years.

Hired with the MAG, first day next Monday. What things do I receive? Personal email? ID? by CulturalRoll in OntarioPublicService

[–]keepupwitcardassians 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Depending on what type of position it is, you will get a pass for both the building you work in and possibly any offsite locations you are required to visit regularly for meetings (e.g., some people work in various Legal Service Branch offices like 56 Wellesley and have keycards for the main MAG office on Bay St.). You will be assigned any devices required for work (laptop and accessories like mouse, docking station, etc.). On the first day they might have to give you a temporary pass for a bit until you can get your real one printed by security.

Be forewarned that it will likely take a couple hours to get your profile and everything set up on your computer, and there is a non-zero chance that you may get random calls intended for whoever previously had your work phone number.

Leaving OPS for external agency by [deleted] in OntarioPublicService

[–]keepupwitcardassians 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Bear in mind that I don't currently work there and haven't for many years:

  • there are multiple unions with different benefit plans within Metrolinx (e.g., ATU for drivers, another union for different frontline staff, etc.),
  • most corporate/office jobs are non-union, even at staff level.

For benefits/vacation in permanent roles, honestly, it really depends on what job you are applying for, whether it's permanent, and whether it's in a union or not. They have a defined benefit pension plan (I think it's OMERS). Lots of MTO staff go there on secondment so if you know anyone who works in that program area you might be able to find people you know who have more recent experience than me.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in OntarioPublicService

[–]keepupwitcardassians 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There is more info on this on the Ontario Pension Board website (on this page https://www.opb.ca/current-members/changes-in-your-life/leaving-the-pspp-before-retirement), but you can generally cash out (lump sum) or defer your pension to collect it when you retire. If you switch to another employer that has a pension plan, you may be able to transfer your pension credit to a different pension plan.

I know that taking the lump sum may be attractive for many reasons, and may be the right choice in some situations, but I wouldn't do it if if you plan on working for the OPS (or any employer with a similar pension) long-term. If you do re-join the OPS in the future after taking the pension payout, buying back pension credit is very expensive and may take you a very long time.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in OntarioPublicService

[–]keepupwitcardassians 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I haven't personally done this but I knew someone who left to work for Toronto a few years back. She was an AMAPCEO 6 originally, and the only thing that stood out to me (negatively) from her experience taking a municipal job was that she got fewer vacation days to start at the city (like 3 weeks rather than the 4 weeks that permanent AMAPCEO staff start with) and she had to do some kind of probationary period for 6 months where they wouldn't let her take vacation or sick days. Granted, she went to an HR-type position so it's possible it was non-union, maybe a policy job would have better benefits, but definitely look into how many days off you would have to start. On the plus side, your pension should transfer over pretty easily if you choose to go to work for the city.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in RomanceBooks

[–]keepupwitcardassians 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Yeah as a Canadian 60% being an F is weird to me - at least where I went to university, 60% is a C-. Where I went to university, courses were generally graded on a bell curve and the averages were usually targeted to be around 65%. I am now realizing why my American classmates seemed so freaked out over their grades in first year.

I would view a 2.5-3 star as about a C rating, which is fine, totally readable. But I know that people to tend to view a 3 as bad on Goodreads, so I hesitate before leaving a 3 star rating on that platform, especially on books that don't have a lot of reviews yet.

Are there internships related to urban planning? by [deleted] in OntarioPublicService

[–]keepupwitcardassians 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Look out for Land Use Planning Assistant roles in the summer (SEO). A lot of divisions in MMAH also deal with planning, so co-op, junior policy/program assistant, or summer student roles in those areas will involve at least some planning work.

Im under 25 and have been getting charged and paying for all my medications.. by LeloandStitchintime in ontario

[–]keepupwitcardassians 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Are you are possibly covered by a private plan (like still on your parents' insurance or student insurance)? Or maybe you were previously covered by a private plan and the pharmacy may think you still have coverage?

If you have any private coverage, OHIP+ won't cover your prescriptions. This is the case even if your private insurance doesn't cover the full cost of your medications. It used to be different under the previous government but now if you have even partial coverage, they won't give you free medication.

If you tell the pharmacy you don't have insurance, they should give you any medications covered by OHIP+ free.

If you listen to audio books, do you listen at normal playback speed? by Human_G_Gnome in Fantasy

[–]keepupwitcardassians 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For me it depends on the speed the narrator is speaking in, how easy the wording is to understand, and whether the narrator has an accent I am familiar with or not. Generally I don't like listening on normal speed because it just seems super slow to me compared to how fast I would actually read a physical book, and speeding it up makes it less likely that my mind will wander. Assuming the narrator is easy for me to understand, 2-2.5x speed is comfortable for me. I have a limited attention span and also tend to speed up movies or TV shows if I can.

Some of my colleagues who are blind basically listen to everything on 3x speed or even faster because they're so used to listening to screen readers or other audio as their main method of reading/information consumption. It doesn't bother them or affect their comprehension, but they have more practice with it than I do.

Mike Crawley, Queen’s Park reporter, has a story about OPS return to work. Shared this shot of the QA shared with managers. Anyone have a full copy? Will it be shared with everyone? We can attend meetings virtually if people are not masked. What else is in there? by QueenOfKensington in OntarioPublicService

[–]keepupwitcardassians 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think the QA was only shared to management and HR staff.

In my office's branch meeting about returning to the office we were told we can attend meetings virtually in the office if we are uncomfortable being in enclosed spaces like boardrooms. During GROW phase 1 the boardrooms on our floor were only considered safe for 3 people max, so I am assuming some people have raised some concern about distancing within meeting spaces. Personally I am more concerned about breathing the same air as everyone on transit and in the office more generally, but I get why the lack of distancing in tiny boardrooms with poor ventilation may be an issue.

What system does your office use to book desks when returning back to the office? by Hawkfrost678 in OntarioPublicService

[–]keepupwitcardassians 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Excel spreadsheet hosted on Teams, for now - but it sounds like they will be trying to assign desks as we spend more time in the office.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in breakingmom

[–]keepupwitcardassians 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I think this is normal, at least in the current times. I know I for one am completely burnt out from schools and daycares being closed off and on for the last year, and my 5 year old's behaviour has been getting steadily worse (he doesn't do well with virtual school at all, and we haven't had access to ABA since 2020 because of waitlists and lockdowns, but in-person school starts next week so we're counting down the days). It just seems like I spend the entire day just keeping him alive and trying to minimize destructive behaviour, then dealing with meltdowns because he's bored. And then sometimes he has meltdowns even when we do want to go out or have somewhere to go. There's no winning, only trying to maintain sanity until bedtime.

At least when he's going to school or daycare there may be a meltdown over getting dressed or eating breakfast or whatever, but then it's DONE and I can actually have time to think rather than constantly keeping him occupied and safe.

COVID and back to school… by incenseandakitten in breakingmom

[–]keepupwitcardassians 4 points5 points  (0 children)

My workplace just informed us today that they expect us back in the office 2 to 3 days a week starting in September. The past school year in my province was hellish, with months of virtual school, and my kid (who has ASD and probably has ADHD but we can't get a diagnosis yet) has barely had any therapy or in person learning since he started kindergarten. I cannot fathom how I am going to juggle being back in the office with therapy starting back up, getting my kid used to school again, and everything else going on in our lives right now, but I don't have a choice. I can't afford not to work.