1.      PURPOSE

The purpose of this policy is to set out the rules and principles for the reimbursement of expenses, to ensure fair and reasonable practices and to provide a framework of accountability to guide the effective oversight of resources in the reimbursement of expenses.  This policy emphasizes accountability, transparency, value for money and fairness.     

     

2.     DEFINITIONS

For the purposes of this policy, the following definitions apply:

“Business Credit Card (BCC)” refers to the company authorized credit card provided by TICO’s participating credit card financial institution.

“Claimant” refers to any person making a claim under the terms of this policy.

“Credit Limit” means the available credit allocated to each Business Credit Card(s) and the total credit available to the company under the business card program.

“Approver” refers to the person with the authority to approve expenses under this policy.

“CEO” refers to TICO’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

 

3.        SCOPE

This policy applies to the Travel Industry Council of Ontario (TICO) Board of Directors and to all TICO employees, consultants and contractors that may incur an expense during company business.  

4.        PRINCIPLES

TICO must conform to the following key principles:

5.        MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS

Claimants must:

Approvers must:


6.      ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK

Board member expense reports are to be approved by the CEO/Registrar.

The CEO/Registrar’s expense reports are to be approved by the Chair of the Board of Directors or, in his or her absence, by the Vice-Chair. 

TICO staff expense reports are to be approved in accordance with the CEO/Registrar’s Delegation of Authority Matrix policy.  

Managerial Discretion:

For the purpose of this policy, managerial discretion means the administrative authority can make decisions and choices with some degree of flexibility while maintaining compliance with this policy.  All decisions should be taken very carefully. 

When exercising discretion, the rationale must be documented and filed with the claim.

 Approvers are accountable for their decisions, which must be:

When a situation arises and discretion needs to be exercised, approvers should consider whether the request is:

It is the responsibility of both the approver and the claimant to work out appropriate arrangements, which would meet the test of being fair and equitable.

For individuals who travel on business and return to their home on the same day, meals will only be reimbursed when the travel involves a distance of more than 24 kilometres from the office.  For overnight travel, reasonable meal expenses will be reimbursed in accordance with the limits allowed in this policy.  Otherwise, expenses associated with meals are considered a personal expense.  Individuals are encouraged to use good professional judgement in considering an expense for reimbursement for business purposes.

7.        OTHER NON-ELIGIBLE EXPENSES

The following expenses are ineligible for reimbursement at all times:


8.      ACCOMMODATIONS

There will be no reimbursement for hotel suites, executive floors or concierge levels when travelling on company business.  Reimbursement will be made for single accommodation in a standard room.  Employees should request government rates wherever possible.

Private stays with friends or family are acceptable, and a cash payment or gift may be provided to the friends or family in accordance with the following criteria:


9.      USE OF PERSONAL VEHICLE

If you use your personal vehicle while on company business, the following rules apply:

A rental vehicle, or a company fleet vehicle (if available), is preferred if the total cost to TICO is lower; employees travelling are responsible for choosing the lowest cost alternative.  Where a rental vehicle is required, insurance for collision damage should be declined.  A compact vehicle is the preferred option, unless for safety reasons a different type of vehicle is requested, in which case a pre-approval is required.

Travel to/from the employee’s home from/to TICO’s head office is considered a personal expense.

Safety is always the first priority when travelling on company business (or otherwise).  Any accidents should be reported immediately to the employee’s manager, or as soon as reasonably possible under the circumstances.

 

10.    INTERNATIONAL AND OUT-OF-PROVINCE TRAVEL

While rare, all international and out-of-province travel must be pre-approved by the CEO/Registrar.  Pre-approval will be based on a written rationale detailing the critical value resulting from the travel abroad, including specific linkage to the company’s strategic priorities.  Business class travel for international travel is only permitted in exceptional circumstances where the flight is in excess of 5.5 hours.

Employees should consider out-of-country medical insurance as appropriate.

 

11.     STATUTORY DIRECTOR AND DEPUTY DIRECTOR

In addition to the remuneration set out in the Board Remuneration Policy, the Statutory Director or Deputy Director will also be able to claim reasonable out-of-pocket expenses when they are filling the Statutory Director role.  A list of eligible expenses can be found in the Board of Directors section of this policy.  Statutory Director and Deputy Director Expense claims are to be submitted to the Board Chair for approval with a copy to the CEO.

12.     BOARD OF DIRECTORS

In addition to the remuneration paid to directors in accordance with the Board Remuneration Policy, board members are eligible for reimbursement of the following expenses:

Travel Expenses:    Mileage rates as set by CRA
                                Parking expense (posted rate)
                                Taxi expense (posted rate)

Air Travel:                 Economy – North America (best available)
                                 Business class – in exceptional circumstances where the flight is in excess of 5.5 hours and has been
                                 pre-approved by the Board Chair and CEO

Hotel:                         Moderate accommodations under local conditions

Meals:                        If more than 24 km from place of business:

                                           Breakfast      up to $15
                                           Lunch            up to $20
                                           Dinner           up to $40

                                           (Rates apply in North America; receipts to be provided)

Administrative Costs:         Photocopies
                                               Telephone calls
                                               Fax
                                               Postage

The above rates apply to all regularly scheduled board meeting and committee functions.  Any special board functions, which deviate from the above rates, must be approved by the Board Chair and CEO.            

All board members wishing to claim for expenses, including travel, will be required to submit an expense claim with supporting receipts.  Any Expense Reports containing errors or omissions, including missing receipts, will be returned to the board member. 

All claims for expenses must be submitted within three months of the date of the meeting for which the expense was incurred. 

 

13.    REGISTRAR/CEO TRAVEL

It is in the best interests of TICO that the Registrar and CEO meet members of the industry as much as possible and speak and participate at various industry and association functions to further TICO’s mission.

The Registrar/CEO shall use his or her best judgment in accepting speaking engagements or invitations to participate in industry functions, considering the following:

The Registrar exercises statutory duties, which require independent decision-making.  He or she must, therefore, act scrupulously to avoid actual or perceived conflicts of interest.  If the Registrar/CEO is going to stay over after a conference for personal reasons, the costs of this will be absorbed by the Registrar/CEO.  All travel outside Canada shall be pre-approved by the Chair.  Invitations to industry-sponsored “familiarization trips” must be declined due to the risk of a perceived conflict of interest.  If the Registrar also acts as TICO’s CEO, it is imperative that he or she be, and be perceived to be, independent.

The Registrar/CEO shall conform to the other standards outlined in the TICO Staff section of the policy.

 

14.    TICO STAFF

Certain TICO staff members have been provided with a Business Credit Card (BCC) to be used, as necessary, to pay for business expenses as identified within this policy.  It is important to note that the BCC will be used only for business purposes, and personal expenses are strictly prohibited (unless it is an emergency, in which case, the employee’s manager should be notified as quickly as is reasonable in the circumstances).  The BCC is issued on a joint and several liability basis, meaning that the employee and/or TICO are responsible for any liability incurred.

The aggregate credit limit for the business card credit program shall be determined from time-to-time and approved by the Audit, Technology and Risk Management Committee, with individual allocations pre-approved by the CEO.

The following rules should be applied when using the BCC:

Management retains the right, at any time, to require the employee to return the BCC.

Business Travel:

In light of TICO’s role in the travel industry administering and monitoring compliance under the Act, TICO staff must act scrupulously to avoid actual, perceived, and potential conflicts of interest.  Conflicts may arise where TICO staff members accept discounts or other travel advantages from registrants for business travel that are not available to the general public.  All business travel services for TICO staff are to be purchased in economy class and at a fare that is available to the general public.  Industry discounts or passes are not permissible.  Accommodation is to be economy class without industry discounts.  Employee travel must be approved by management.    


Invitations from the Industry:

TICO staff must seek their manager’s approval before accepting speaking engagements or invitations to participate in industry functions.  The benefits of such participation will be reviewed by management taking into consideration the importance of avoiding potential or perceived conflicts of interest.  TICO staff may not participate in industry sponsored “familiarization trips”. 

Expenses:

 

Travel Expenses:               Mileage rates as set by CRA
                                             Parking expense (posted rate)
                                             Taxi expense (posted rate)

Air Travel:                          Economy – Scheduled or Charter

Hotel:                                 Economy Class Hotel

          Meals:                                If more than 24 km from place of business:

                                           Breakfast      up to $15
                                           Lunch            up to $20
                                           Dinner           up to $40

(Note:  Individuals expensing meals for a day may deviate from the individual meal allotments provided that they do not exceed the daily maximum).                                         

 Administrative Costs:      Photocopies
                                            Telephone calls
                                            Fax
                                            Postage

15.      HOSPITALITY

Hospitality refers to the provision of food, beverage, accommodation, transportation, and other amenities to people who are not engaged in work for TICO.  Functions involving only people who work for TICO (all those covered by this policy) are not considered hospitality functions.

Hospitality may be extended in an economical and consistent manner when:

Hospitality may be extended on behalf of TICO when:

Examples of hospitality events held by TICO include, but are not limited to:

Any hospitality functions held by TICO must be approved by the CEO/Registrar.  Any gifts given as part of a hospitality event must be approved by the CEO/Registrar.  Where alcohol is served, approval of the Chair of the TICO Board of Directors is also required. 

All hospitality expenses must be documented and include original itemized receipts.

The claim must include event details regarding:

 

Last Revised – March 29, 2022