Bulletin
FortisBC – Scheduling 2026 Annual Vacation – Know Your Rights
January 13, 2026
To: All MoveUP Members at Fortis Energy Inc and FortisBC Inc.
Fortis members,
Many of you have asked for clarification about taking vacation or other time off work. It is important for you to know your rights. Below is information from your collective agreement which will help you understand your rights regarding taking vacation at FortisBC. Please note that Vacation Days take priority over Paid Days Off (PDO), Accumulated Days Off (ADO) or any other time banks, and are generally approved after the vacation has been approved.
You work very hard and are entitled to time off as set out in your collective agreement. If you have any further questions about vacation time, please reach out to a job steward.
Scheduling 2026 Vacations
Fortis Managers should have had all vacation sign-up prior to the end of 2025. In smaller departments without a formal sign-up, please ensure you submit your vacation/paid days off request early in the year.
Your Collective Agreement on Vacations
Article 14.02: You are entitled to take all your vacation entitlement, regardless of if that is three weeks or six weeks.
Article 14.04: You are allowed to break up your vacation, however, it is not a requirement.
Article 14.05: Your vacation shall not conflict with essential departmental requirements.
Essential Departmental Requirements
An essential departmental requirement is deemed very specific according to the company.
The only time members can carry over time off from one year to the next is when the company requests a member to cancel and/or rebook approved time off, and this is what they refer to as essential departmental requirements.
Departmental requirements do not include high work volume, short staffing levels, or cutting vacation time short to allow more junior employees to have time off during preferred times.
If the department has implemented a “black out period” this should be clearly defined and should apply to all employees equally.
If you have any questions or receive push back from your manager, please reach out to a job steward. (link to job stewards)
In solidarity,
April Young, Union Representative