Single Quarters & Rations (R&Q) [MERGED]

[Strike]

Sweet Jesus    the $97 for a bunk bed with all those roomies is high but manageable but $565.85 in rations!  Crazy

It does seem a tad high, but you also have to consider that this includes the cost of prep, cooking and clean-up.

 

[Halifax Tar]

It does seem a tad high, but you also have to consider that this includes the cost of prep, cooking and clean-up.

These cost are cover by the DND budget no ?  Aren't we kind of double charging for this ?

How can we charge members for a portion a salary and service that is already paid for by raised taxes ?

 

[PMedMoe]

These cost are cover by the DND budget no ?  Aren't we kind of double charging for this ?

How can we charge members for a portion a salary and service that is already paid for by raised taxes ?

Probably not paying salaries but paying for heat, hot water, electricity, detergent, etc....

 

[Halifax Tar]

Probably not paying salaries but paying for heat, hot water, electricity, detergent, etc....

The heat, hot water and electricity are again services covered by public taxes no ?  I mean I don't pay CFJSR to cover its utilities.  And detergent would be something set up on an LPO contract through a company like Swish and again covered at public expense...

I just don't get how we charge members for a service that is covered publicly and then not give them the option to "opt out".

I would like to see a cost break down on the total bill. 

 

[dapaterson]

No.  Kitchens are supposed to be run on a cost recovery basis - that is, the payments received should cover all operating costs, including salaries.

However, costs are set centrally by TBS, so there is likely variation in the actual local cost.

 

[captloadie]

Most kitchens receive very little baseline funding above and beyond what they take in as "revenue". It is actually the salaries of the employees (less military staff I believe), the cost of food, and all the other things directly related to providing that service (less utilities which are normally centrally funded on most bases). Everyone always compares the cost of rations to what it costs to buy the food to eat at home. If you calculate the food costs, the cost for dishes, the power to run your oven/microwave, coffee maker, refrigerator, and the value of your time to prepare the meals (and the portion of the initial outlay for the appliances over their life span) what does that equal? You really need to look at comparing the cost of rations, vs. the cost of eating at a restaurant at cost.

 

[Halifax Tar]

Most kitchens receive very little baseline funding above and beyond what they take in as "revenue". It is actually the salaries of the employees (less military staff I believe), the cost of food, and all the other things directly related to providing that service (less utilities which are normally centrally funded on most bases). Everyone always compares the cost of rations to what it costs to buy the food to eat at home. If you calculate the food costs, the cost for dishes, the power to run your oven/microwave, coffee maker, refrigerator, and the value of your time to prepare the meals (and the portion of the initial outlay for the appliances over their life span) what does that equal? You really need to look at comparing the cost of rations, vs. the cost of eating at a restaurant at cost.

Good stuff learn something new every day!  I still say it should be gospel you don't have to buy in...

 

[DAA]

When it comes to kitchens, the building and utilities are "baseline" funded and those costs belong to CE as part of the local "infra-structure" budget. 

So now you have your kitchen which needs to provide a service and they are also allocated a portion of the overall Base/Wing O&M budget, which covers everything from soup to nuts (ie; rations, napkins, cutlery, civilian wages, TD, basically anything you would need to run a Kitchen).  This is also "baseline" funded, however, the budget allocation is generally not sufficient for the kitchen to fully operate.  Your ration deductions are collected by Ottawa, who in turn pass these funds back down to your local Base/Wing on a quarterly basis and the local comptroller will normally inject the cash back into the Kitchen budget to keep things running.  Same also pretty much applies to "cash sales" at meal times (ie; revenue).

So what you are paying for, is not just the grocery costs for the meal that your eating but also for the daily operation of the kitchen, to a certain extent.  So if service is slow, the food sucks, there is not enough milk and deserts at dinner time, then the initial O&M allocation to your kitchen just may be lacking.  Or someone is bad at planning.

 

[Adventurecalls6]

I totally agree that you have to look at all the other costs that go into the food prep and stuff vs. just that amount of money to go buy food.. The biggest "issue" i have with those crazy cost is the quality of the food. Example: today for lunch I had a "Stuffed chicken" (it was one of those stuffed chicken things you get in a box at walmart about 3"X2") with an apple and some milk and water, not that it was the only choice, but it was the "best" choice. HAHA An I have no doubt in my mind that I will see those left overs served in the salad bar for supper tonight (since its hit or miss on weather we can have seonds).
All our food is made in huge bluk orders and whatever isnt used gets reused... to me that seems like I am either paying for too much food or paying for it twice to accomadate the prep needed to cook. This is a training base so a lot of people that come here are not even paying for their meals directly... feels like everyone actualy living here has to pick up the tab...

Still beats box lunches tho...

 

[dapaterson]

More info is at:

http://www.njc-cnm.gc.ca/directive/index.php?sid=120&hl=1&lang=eng#tc-tm_5_1

and

http://www.njc-cnm.gc.ca/directive/index.php?sid=134&hl=1&lang=eng

 

[DAA]

On another note, how about "Ration Remits".  When was the last time you saw that on your pay guide, if they even still exist?

 

[Halifax Tar]

On another note, how about "Ration Remits".  When was the last time you saw that on your pay guide, if they even still exist?

Never heard of it.  Care to explain ?

 

[PMedMoe]

On another note, how about "Ration Remits".  When was the last time you saw that on your pay guide, if they even still exist?

Is that when they used to pay you back for rations when you were on leave?  I don't think they do that any more as I don't think they take away your ration card when you go on leave.  Mind you, it's been a few years for me....

 

[MJP]

On another note, how about "Ration Remits".  When was the last time you saw that on your pay guide, if they even still exist?

They still happen for living in folks that go exercise and the like.

 

[JorgSlice]

I totally agree that you have to look at all the other costs that go into the food prep and stuff vs. just that amount of money to go buy food.. The biggest "issue" i have with those crazy cost is the quality of the food. Example: today for lunch I had a "Stuffed chicken" (it was one of those stuffed chicken things you get in a box at walmart about 3"X2") with an apple and some milk and water, not that it was the only choice, but it was the "best" choice. HAHA An I have no doubt in my mind that I will see those left overs served in the salad bar for supper tonight (since its hit or miss on weather we can have seonds).
All our food is made in huge bluk orders and whatever isnt used gets reused... to me that seems like I am either paying for too much food or paying for it twice to accomadate the prep needed to cook. This is a training base so a lot of people that come here are not even paying for their meals directly... feels like everyone actualy living here has to pick up the tab...

Still beats box lunches tho...

I recently spent a week at Valcartier. Food was pretty damn good.

 

[kratz]

I'm living in residence, and the cost of food is included within the housing cost. The quality and choice of food served makes me cry to be back at a CF galley. As others mentioned, milk/drinks being out of service (out of stock), overcooked mush pasta, fruit flies in the bread, slugs in the reposed salads and stews that literally do look like vomit. These are some of the daily complaints here, with little not no improvement.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

I'm living in residence, and the cost of food is included within the housing cost. The quality and choice of food served makes me cry to be back at a CF galley. As others mentioned, milk/drinks being out of service (out of stock), overcooked mush pasta, fruit flies in the bread, slugs in the reposed salads and stews that literally do look like vomit. These are some of the daily complaints here, with little not no improvement.

  Where the hell is that at ???

 

[DAA]

Never heard of it.  Care to explain ?

Your Ration Deductions are "remitted" back to you in instances described in CFAO 208-1, para 52.  (Field Ex, Ship out of Port, Emb/Disemb Lve, TD, TT between postings, Comp Lve, etc).

When you go on Annual Leave, you are suppose to hand your Ration Card in but it rarely happens these days.

 

[edlabonte]

It is very common for you to get one of your top 3 after QL3.  They don't guarantee  you anything as per, but the CM is pretty good with first postings. 

Some wings like North Bay and Cold Lake you could spend a lot of time there if you wanted, but i wouldn't expect to spend a decade at any other posting. 

 

[Pusser]

The reason you're supposed to hand in your ration card when on annual leave is that deductions for rations are based on 11 months spread over 12 months (i.e. you pay monthly over a 12 month period for 11 months worth of rations).  You are actually not entitled to rations while on ANNUAL leave.  However, as has been noted, no one bothers to monitor this anymore.  It's still noted on the CF100 (leave pass) though.  There are numerous flaws in this theory, which is probably why we no longer bother to monitor it.