Please visit Circus – HR for Content Creators for access to onboarding and digital start packs. You can now upload your licenses and certificates to your profile to have access to all your documents, electronically. Please visit www.circushr.com for more information.
Or login to your Circus account by clicking here.
The Greater Vancouver Fire Chiefs Association requires all craft and catering trucks to undergo a preliminary inspection by April 31, 2021. Due to COVID concerns, they will not be holding a mass inspection date so any owner/operators can contact their local jurisdiction to arrange for a free inspection.
Please note that the City of Richmond is not participating in this program but encourage Members who work frequently in that jurisdiction (ie. studio or home base) to seek a decal from the Richmond fire department.
If there is a group of truck owners who want to organize a weekend inspection day, the City of North Vancouver would be open to discussing an organized, committed schedule. Should that be of interest to Members, please reach out to Katharine Pavoni with CreativeBC by email at kpavoni@creativebc.com and she will connect you with the City of North Vancouver fire department.
Amended: March 18, 2021
PURPOSE OF CIRCULAR
To advise that effective April 2, 2019, the Director, Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement branch (CVSE) has issued an exemption under Motor Vehicle Act Regulations (MVAR) 37.11.02 to implement an hours of service pilot project for commercial motor vehicles providing transportation of persons or property to or from a motion picture production site.
While these vehicles will be exempt from specific portions of Part 3 of MVAR Division 37, there are substituted requirements (MPI Hours of Service Rules) to ensure that drivers are not operating while fatigued and public safety remains a priority.
The pilot project will be in effect until at least September 30, 2022 and there will be ongoing review.
The substituted requirements may be amended by the Director during the pilot project. Any amendments will be published as an update to this circular.
BACKGROUND
When the Hours of Service (HOS) regulations were introduced in 2007, a commitment was made to representatives from the Motion Picture Industry (MPI) to explore regulatory changes related to the HOS regulations. Further discussions have occurred in the intervening years (2010 and 2012), but no agreement was reached.
In June 2016, CVSE formed a working group composed of representatives from CVSE, the MPI and CreativeBC (formerly the B.C. Film Commission) to discuss issues related to compliance with the province’s NSC regulations. This working group has been working together to find answers that protect the safety of workers and other road users while not impeding the vitality of the industry.
Recognizing the unique working nature of the MPI, the working group has concluded that the best path forward is a set of HOS rules designed to address the need for effective and consistent monitoring across the MPI to avoid potential driver fatigue and also provide the flexibility needed by the unique working conditions of the MPI and low kilometers travelled to or from a motion picture production site. This pilot project is the result of that work. The working group will be reviewing the effectiveness of the MPI Hours of Service Rules and continuing their work in relation to other areas covered by MVAR Division 37.
APPLICATION
The MPI Hours of Service Rules are only applicable within the province of B.C. for commercial motor vehicles providing transportation of persons or property to or from a motion picture production site.
In order to operate under this exemption, the production company or studio responsible for the production must comply with all duties and responsibilities of the carrier, regardless of what NSC certificate is displayed on a vehicle’s registration documents. The carrier has overall responsibility for monitoring and ensuring compliance with the MPI Hours of Service Rules for all drivers operating as part of the production.
Drivers who operate under this exemption and also operate commercial motor vehicles for purposes unrelated to a motion picture production site must ensure that they will be in compliance with all applicable requirements under MVAR Division 37, Part 3 including daily, cycle and workshift limits when they return to operating a commercial motor vehicle that is not covered under this exemption.
Commercial motor vehicles transporting of persons or property to or from a motion picture production site are exempt from MVAR 37.13.01 through 37.13.04, and 37.16.02 through 37.16.06 as these requirements are replaced by the MPI Hours of Service Rules as defined below. All other requirements under MVAR Division 37, Part 3 are still in force.
MPI Hours of Service Rules
1. Definition of Day
A Carrier must define “day” as a calendar day (i.e. midnight to midnight) for daily logs.
2. Minimum off-duty hours per day
A driver must have at least 8 hours off-duty time in addition to following the Break Requirements defined in the MPI Hours of Service Rules.
3. Break Requirements A driver must not drive if more than 5 hours have passed since the end of the driver’s last off duty period of at least 30 minutes. The driver must take at least 30 minutes of off-duty time before driving again.
4. Maximum on-duty hours per day
A driver must not drive after accumulating 15 hours (may be non-consecutive) of on-duty time since the driver’s last period of at least 8 consecutive hours of off-duty time. The driver must take at least 8 consecutive hours of off-duty time before driving again.
5. Maximum driving time after coming on duty
A driver must not drive after accumulating 11 hours of driving time since the driver’s last period of at least 8 consecutive hours of off-duty time. The driver must take at least 8 consecutive hours of off-duty time before driving again.
6. Maximum On-Duty time in a cycle
A driver must not drive after accumulating 85 hours of on-duty time during any period of 7 days.
7. Maximum Driving time in a cycle
A driver must not drive after accumulating 60 hours of driving time during any period of 7 days.
8. Mandatory off-duty time to limit consecutive workdays
A driver must take either 24 consecutive hours of off-duty time in 8 days or 36 consecutive hours of off-duty time in 14 days.
9. Reset Requirement
A driver may end their current cycle and begin a new cycle if the driver takes at least 72 consecutive hours of off-duty time.
10. Daily Logs
Whether or not paragraphs (a) to (c) in MVAR 37.18.01(2) are met by the carrier and the driver, a driver operating under this exemption is required to record hours using a graph grid (paper or electronic) that is compliant with Schedule 2.
A Carrier may choose to modify the graph grid to remove “Off-duty time when spent in a sleeper berth”.
A driver must indicate “Operating under MPI Rules” in the “Remarks” section of the daily log.
11. Clarification of Off-Duty Definition
As defined in NSC Bulletin 01-18
12. Deferrals
Despite MVAR 37.13.04, a driver operating under this exemption must not defer off-duty time.
13. Use of Sleeper Berth
Despite MVAR 37.16 and 37.16.01, a driver operating under this exemption must not split the mandatory 8 consecutive off-duty hours.
14. Recording Periods of Driving Interspersed by Short Periods of Other On-Duty Time (aka Bundling)
Regardless of the instructions contained in Schedule 2 of MVAR Division 37, the practice of bundling is only allowed under the following circumstances for drivers operating under MPI Rules:
• Periods of driving interspersed by short periods (less than 30 minutes) of on-duty (not driving) time may be logged solely as driving time to simplify the completion of the daily graph grid.
• Periods of on-duty time that are anticipated to be at least 30 minutes should be logged as on-duty time to avoid inflating a driver’s driving hours.
For further information regarding on this exemption and the substituted requirements, please contact Karen Coverett, NSC Manager at 250-953-4045 or via email at NSCManager@gov.bc.ca.
Samantha Eburne
Director, Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement Branch
Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
PDF of Ministry of Transportation Compliance Circular
Link to Ministry of Transportation Compliance Circular
The next ACFC West General Meeting will be held on March 28, 2021 via Zoom. You must contact the ACFC West office to register for the General Meeting and to receive the Zoom link and instructions by email.
We have mailed the General Meeting notice to all Members which includes the nomination form for the Executive Board. There are 5 positions up for nominations and they include:
President, Vice-President, and two (2) individual Members at Large. These positions have a two year term. The Secretary/Treasurer position is currently vacant and open for nominations on the remaining one year of its two year term.
Completed nomination forms can be mailed, hand delivered or emailed to info@acfcwest.com and will be accepted until Friday, March 26, 2021 by 5:00pm.
If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact Nicole in the ACFC West office at (604) 299-ACFC (2232) or email info@acfcwest.com.
Friday, February 26, 2021
ACFC West, Local 2020 Unifor
RE: Employer Directing Technician to Refrain From Wearing Apparel with Black Lives Matter on it.
On Wednesday February 24th ACFC West, Local 2020 Unifor became aware of a very concerning situation. A crew member on one of our signatory productions was informed that a Black Lives Matter shirt worn earlier in the week violated company policy regarding garments at work with political slogans on them. The crew member was asked not to wear it or any other political garments again.
Such an act by an employer is highly concerning to our Union. We immediately opened dialogue with the production’s managing producer and those at the executive level in the company. In a short amount of time, the executive communicated that it believed the request was made in error, and the company was working to rectify the situation, apologize to the affected crew member, and review company
policy.
We will continue to monitor this issue and expect the employer to ensure such behavior is not repeated. It is clear that many of us in the film and television industry need to raise our collective consciousness so that these types of events are not merely objected to in the moment, but rather so that they cease to occur at all. That is the paradigm shift we truly need.
ACFC West, Local 2020 Unifor supports the Black Lives Matter movement and will continue to work on behalf of all BIPOC crew for a safer and more inclusive workplace for all. Unifor National President, Jerry Dias has stated “We see this as our everyday commitment to be anti-racist. Racial justice is a priority at the bargaining tables, in all policy making and included in all our demands made to government across the country. We are working hard to foster equity, inclusion, and diversity both inside and outside of our organization.”
In Solidarity:
Prem Marimuthu – President, ACFC West. Local 2020 Unifor
Daryl Litke – Business Manager, ACFC West, Local 2020 Unifor
ACFC WEST – THE ASSOCIATION OF CANADIAN FILM CRAFTSPEOPLE, LOCAL 2020
#108 – 3993 HENNING DRIVE, BURNABY, BC V5C 6P7 CANADA
PHONE: (604) 299-ACFC (2232) FAX: (604) 299-2243
www.acfcwest.com
ACFC Statement on BLM Clothing Incident
Please contact the ACFC West office to ensure we have you current address and contact information on file to receive your 2020 Tax Receipts.
Office: (604) 299-2232
Email: info@acfcwest.com
Calltime Mental Health – A Caring Approach to Substance Abuse and Addiction in the Motion Picture Industry
With the combined stresses of film work and the ongoing COVID pandemic, it’s not surprising that for some, drug and alcohol use has progressed to substance abuse and addiction. When substance use get’s out of control, it can be hard to reach out for the help you need. The resources are for both those who are struggling and those who want to help.
Managing Emotions and Expectations During These Unusual Pandemic Holidays
Can We Talk About Suicide?
www.calltimementalhealth.com/blog/2020/12/15/can-we-talk-about-suicide
AIP Week 2020’s theme is ‘MIND Your Health: Mental Health Awareness’ and focuses on the invisibility of mental illness, how we can all be more mindful of our mental health and how to help improve others. The aim is to bring awareness to factors such as stress, fatigue, concussion, that have an impact on an individual’s mental health and how this, in turn, affects the arts and entertainment industries.
As you are aware, as a result of the pandemic, AIP Week has become a completely virtual event where Actsafe will be sharing mental health information, resources, and hosting webinars presented by mental health experts to help reduce the stigma around mental health.
The webinars are scheduled for 10 am and 1 pm daily and you can find the full webinar schedule and registration here.
Some of the webinar topics include:
The annual dues year for ACFC West, Local 2020 Unifor begins October 1st of each year and runs through to and including
September 30th of the following year. If you are currently a Member in Good Standing and have received our notice, you are
eligible to renew your membership for the upcoming year commencing October 1st, 2020.
Annual dues for the 2021 dues year, which is required to maintain your Member in Good Standing status, is $100.00.
Please note: in order to renew membership, a Member who requires a driver’s license to perform his or
her duties must provide a current drivers abstract or a signed authorization letter allowing the union to
obtain the member’s abstract.
In addition, payment of annual dues DOES NOT entitle you to renew your benefits through ACFC West, Local 2020
Unifor’s health benefits plan. However, maintaining benefits on the health plan are subject to payment of Annual Dues, and
will be immediately terminated if dues are delinquent by 30 days.
Payment Instructions:
1) In order to remain a Member in Good Standing of ACFC West, Local 2020 Unifor, you are required to pay one
payment of $100.00 for the full year. Your payment must be received at the ACFC West, Local 2020 Unifor
business office on or before October 1st, 2020.
*** This payment DOES NOT automatically entitle you to renew health benefits. ***
2) You can pay your 2021 Annual Dues by phone with Visa or Mastercard, or in-person with Cash, Debit or Cheque.
Please call our office at (604) 299-2232
3) Please mail any Cheques or Money Orders to the following address:
c/o ANNUAL DUES
ACFC West, Local 2020 Unifor
#108 – 3993 Henning Drive
Burnaby, BCV5C 6P7
Cheques and/or Money Orders should be made payable to: ACFC West, Local 2020 Unifor
