Operators

Our Support for Operator Training and Certification

The Atlantic First Nations Water Authority is committed to lifelong learning as an organization and to staff who pursue a career with the utility. We continue to promote the advancement of Operators with training and educational opportunities through ACWWA, MPWWA, NSCC and NBCC, and the Circuit Rider Training Program, to name a few.

AFNWA wants to meet Operators where they are and journey with them to achieve the highest level of certification within Water Treatment, Water Distribution, Wastewater Treatment and Wastewater Collections. The compensation structure for Operations is tied to certification so we can clearly answer the question posed by Operators:

“What is in it for me?”

The base salary for Operators ranges from $44,726 to $55,907; the lower limit would correlate with an OperatorinTraining without certification and the upper limit would correlate with an Operator having Level Two certification in all four categories noted above. In essence, the structure is solidly in line with skillbased pay. This same approach is tied to the salary for the Operations Supervisor/Lead Operator which is $49,869 to $62,336.

AFNWA Compensation: a fair and equitable approach

To address the many inequities of the past, AFNWA has taken a holistic approach to attract and retain qualified and committed staff to serve First Nations communities. In that regard, the AFNWA Board has approved the framework to ensure a fair and equitable approach to compensation.

The total compensation for staff includes a competitive base salary, remuneration for overtime, sick benefits, shortand longterm disability programs, generous vacation allocation, and support for training and education. The base salary benchmark is positioned at P50 compared to the national public sector. This means that 50% of organizations pay better, and 50% pay less, compared to over 400 public sector organizations.

Our Board also passed a resolution in July 2018 that AFNWA will make job offers to all Operators who are working in water and wastewater operations at the time of asset transfer, anticipated in Spring 2022. This ensures a transition as seamless as possible. The years of service accumulated by Operators will also be recognized at the time transfer which is the basis for vacation allocation.

The Atlantic First Nations Water Authority will continue with other strategic hires during the 202122 fiscal year, and encourage Indigenous people in Atlantic Canada to check us out. We believe a career with an organization by First Nations, for First Nations, will be rich and rewarding.