The Doug Ford government will be offering thousands of employees in the Ontario Public Service exit packages in the new year, as the government looks to downsize its workforce.

A government-wide memo from the Secretary of the Cabinet was sent to employees on Tuesday offering a "time-limited transition exit initiative" as well as a new "voluntary exit program" for regular and part-time employees.

The transition exit initiative has been available to unionized members of the civil service for years, however the provision is now being extended to the 6,500 to 10,000 non-unionized management level employees.

The memo, obtained exclusively by CTV News Toronto, calls the measure a way to manage compensation so that vital services to residents can be preserved while "avoiding involuntary job losses."

"To help streamline the size of the Ontario Public Service (OPS), the current focus is on leveraging available programs that will allow employees to exit the organization on a voluntary basis,” the memo reads.

While employees will have until the end of February to accept an exit package, they have until the end of December of 2019 to accept a voluntary buyout.

Read the full letter from Steve Orsini, the head of OPS, below:

December 12, 2018

MEMORANDUM TO: All OPS Staff

SUBJECT: Transition Exit Initiative and Voluntary Exit Program

________________________________________

As part of the government's comprehensive plan to address its fiscal challenges, the government is exploring measures to manage its compensation costs in a way that ensures vital services to citizens are not compromised while avoiding involuntary job losses.

To help streamline the size of the Ontario Public Service (OPS), the current focus is on leveraging available programs that will allow employees to exit the organization on a voluntary basis. As such Cabinet has approved a time-limited Transition Exit Initiative Expansion and a new Voluntary Exit Program within the OPS.

Since 2013, the Transition Exit Initiative (TEI) has been available for regular and regular part-time OPS employees who are represented by OPSEU, AMAPCEO, PEGO, ALOC and the OCAA. Effective January 1, 2019, the TEI program will be temporarily expanded to regular and regular part-time employees in the following employee groups:

Crown Counsel Excluded

Excluded Category Correctional (COR Excluded)

Excluded Category Unified (UN Excluded)

Management Compensation Plan, Individual Contributor

Under the expanded TEI, the groups of employees listed above will be able to submit their applications for approval to exit the organization until February 28, 2019. Voluntary exits under the TEI for non-bargaining staff must then take place between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2019.

Further, a similar Voluntary Exit Program (VEP) will also be temporarily created and made available to regular and regular part-time employees for the following employee groups:

Management Compensation Plan, Actuarial Science (PAC 23, 22)

Management Compensation Plan, Management Crown Counsel 5A

Management Compensation Plan, Manager

Management Compensation Plan, Medical Management Group

Management Compensation Plan, Management Engineers and Management Land Surveyors

Senior Management Group Executive 2, 3 or 4 (Executive 2-4)

Management Crown Counsel 5B, 5C or 5D (CC5B-D)

Under the temporary VEP, effective January 1, 2019, the groups of employees listed above will be able to submit their application for approval to exit the organization until February 28, 2019. Voluntary exits under the VEP must then take place between January 1, 2019 and December 31, 2019.

Application forms for non-bargaining employees are available and employees will be permitted to apply immediately, but not exit until January 1, 2019. Further information, including application forms and fact sheets outlining specific entitlements, are available with the existing TEI program materials on the Employment Transition site.

Please note that there have been no changes to the existing TEI program entitlements or application process for bargaining agent-represented employee groups. However, bargaining represented employees who have previously submitted TEI applications may wish to enquire on the status of their TEI application with their Home Position Manager or re-submit a new application for consideration.

Should you have any further questions about any of these exit programs, please contact your Human Resources Advisor.

Original signed by

Steve Orsini

c. Dean French, Chief of Staff, Premier of Ontario