You must apply for funding during the application period within the semester that the course starts. Please plan ahead!

Attendance/proof of completion form deadline example: Course ends in March 17 (during winter semester), the proof of completion step would be due by the end of spring semester.

For Professional and Personal applications: use the online database: mrustaff.ca/applyedt. For Bursaries: fill out this form (also available on the MRSA website under 'Member Resources') and submit to the MRSA office office prior to the deadline:

Courses and activities that are relevant to the applicant's career at Mount Royal University are Professional, as are credit courses from accredited post secondary institutions taken to maintain or upgrade employment-related skills. Standard First Aid and all languages courses are also included as Professional. These courses and activities benefit both the applicant's current or future responsibilities as well as MRU, thus reimbursements are a non-taxable benefit.

IIf the course that is taken is life-long learning or is relevant to your career, and regardless of whether it is taken towards a credential, the course is considered Professional development. If it is fully for personal interest, it is considered a Personal development course.

Courses and activities that are personal interest or technical skills not related to the applicant's career. Personal development activities may be taken for the applicant's well-being such as mental and physical health or general interest (e.g. art classes, personal workshops, fitness classes, etc.). These courses are a taxable benefit.

Some online courses start when payment is made. A screenshot that indicates such along with your date of payment will be suitable for proof of start date. For courses that have extended or indefinite access, EDT can accept a screenshot of that information along with a reasonable date for when you intend to complete the activity.

Membership fees to get/maintain professional designations are explicitly excluded for eligibility. Memberships/subscriptions like LinkedIn Learning and MasterClass do fall within the spirit of EDT funding. Payment date will be used for the start date unless otherwise specified in documentation. End date will be the date the membership/subscription ends on. Please be careful that you apply for the appropriate semester and be mindful that you will not be paid out until your end date passes.

Many courses are offered free to audit or with fees for marked assignments and certificates of completion. These certificate courses may be eligible for EDT Professional development; include the reason it is Professional development in the application and provide the certificate or grade for your proof of completion.

As of the Fall 2020 semester, recreation classes taken outside of MRU are eligible for EDT funding. Staff are still encouraged to take MRU Recreation classes when possible to support MRU Recreation. Membership fees (e.g. gym memberships) are not eligible for EDT funding.

Individual personal training is not covered by EDT funding, however group personal training is. A group is considered 4 people or more. In order to be eligible for group personal training reimbursement, you will need to provide proof that at least 4 people will be participating. This may be an email from the trainer, a detailed receipt stating this, etc.

Probationary Employees new to the University are not eligible for EDT funding; they must have successfully passed the 6 month probationary period before they can apply. The courses must also start after the probation is completed (if the course began before the end of the probationary period, it is not eligible for funding).

No, EDT policy states that applicants must be MRSA dues paying members at the time of application for EDT funding. Our Constitution states that the University collects dues from the members' pay; if a member is not getting paid, they should not be paying dues. Members cannot opt to pay dues during these leaves.

You can still apply for EDT funding, just indicate that the course / activity is department paid in the appropriate section. The application is subject to the same EDT policies and procedures, and follows the same payout process. There is no assurance that you will receive EDT payment in full. The reimbursement awarded for work related activities paid for by MRU will be paid to the Employee, who will then reimburse their Department. If the application is not approved or partially reimbursed, it will remain the responsibility of the employee's Department to fund the full cost of the work related activity.

Late applications cannot be accepted.

7 Professional development applications and 15 Personal development applications.

No. Each pool of funding is for separate purposes and has different taxation implications. You cannot use both for the same purpose.

Applicants cannot apply for some courses as Professional and others as Personal for the same program.

EDT requires the same information as for in-person courses and activities: activity details, proof of cost, start and end date, and for professional applications a description of how the activity fits that criteria. For courses paid in other currencies, proof of conversion to CAD is required.

EDT requires proof of the cost in the foreign funds as well as the proof of conversion to CAD. A credit card statement usually has this conversion, or submit a screenshot of the exchange rate on the date of purchase from a site such as the Bank of Canada Exchange Rate site. If you submit a credit card statement, remember to redact personal details.

EDT requires documentation that clearly indicates the cost of the activity in CAD. Documentation should include the activity details, cost and dates. Examples could include a screenshot from the institution's website or an itemized receipt paired with a screenshot indicating the required information.
If your course was paid for with USD or other foreign funds, please see the FAQ 'What if the course was paid with USD or other foreign funds?'.

• EXAMPLE - MRU Continuing Education course
• EXAMPLE - How to get the proper documentation for MRU course applications
• EXAMPLE - Credit course (non MRU)
• EXAMPLE - Personal workshop
• EXAMPLE - UofC Continuing Education course

During the application process, emails will be sent as confirmations. The Reference Number will be referenced in each email, and it will be required for the reimbursement process. You can create an email folder entitled "EDT" for all the information to be stored. Another idea is to create an event or task in your calendar on the course / activity end date as a reminder to complete the attendance step of the application.

Go to the mrustaff.ca/applyedt site and use the Look Up (Edit) tab. Enter the Reference Number and click the blue button to load your application. The cost and reason the course is professional development fields can be edited, and a new PDF can be uploaded. (NOTE: each PDF upload replaces the previous, please ensure all required documentation is included). Click the "submit" button when finished. You will be emailed a confirmation of the edit.
If you need to make changes outside of the editable fields, please contact edtmrsa@mtroyal.ca.

Yes each PDF upload replaces the previous, please ensure all required documentation is included in each upload.

Copy and paste all relevant documentation into a Google Doc or Word Doc and then save this file as a PDF.

No. All necessary edits must be completed before the deadline.

Inform the EDT Committee by email (edtmrsa@mtroyal.ca) as soon as possible so that the money can be reallocated.

Only Professional applications require proof of attendance. The proof of attendance depends on the type of Professional development. Some examples of proof include: final grade statements, 'attended' or 'pass' statements, a copy of the certificate received, letters from the instructor, signed

• Proof of Completion form (it can be signed by the facilitator or by the applicant's supervisor). For conferences, EDT can also accept a scan of the conference badge or thank you for attending email.
• EXAMPLE - MRU Course
• EXAMPLE - How to get the proper documentation for MRU course applications
• EXAMPLE - Conference
• EXAMPLE - RRU Course

While Personal applications do not require proof of completion documentation, they do require a completion step. You can do the Attendance (Proof of Completion) step by checking the 'I have completed the course as applied for' box.
View screenshot.

Submit your proof of attendance/proof of completion as soon as your course is finished for timely processing. The proof of attendance must be submitted by one semester following the completion date of the course or the application will be cancelled and the funds will be re-allocated (e.g. if the end date is February 10, the proof of attendance step must be done before the end of Spring semester, June 30).

Go to the mrustaff.ca/applyedt site and use the Attendance (Proof of Completion) tab. Enter the Reference Number, and click the checkbox that states: 'I have completed the course as applied for'.

1. Professional applications require documentation (PDF format, must be named lastname_firstname_coursename.pdf format). Documentation must include the course name, your name and final grade/proof of attendance for the activity or course.
2. Personal applications do not require documentation.

Lastly, click the blue "submit" button.

No. Once an application is cancelled the funding is reallocated. If there are extenuating circumstances email the committee at edtmrsa@mtroyal.ca or contact the MRSA Office.

Funding is based on the number of applicants applying in that semester, the amount requested by each applicant, and the amount allocated to the funding period. The maximum reimbursement is $1000 for Personal applications and $3000 for Professional applications.

Professional reimbursements are non-taxable. Personal reimbursements are taxable. Any reimbursement may impact your personal tax return process.

Once the Attendance/Proof of Completion step is done, EDT committee members must do a final approval, and the MRSA Admin regularly runs a report of completed applications. This report is sent to Payroll, and at this time you will be emailed to notify you of the reimbursement amount. Payroll will add the amount(s) to your pay, under a separate line of "Tuition Reimbursement Non-Taxable" (for Professional applications) or "Tuition Reimbursement Taxable" (for Personal applications). The time frame for this depends on where Payroll is in the pay cycle when they receive the reimbursement report. No payouts can happen until the semester application period has closed (see schedule chart in Guidelines tab).

The earliest that payouts can happen is after the semester application period has closed. Timing also depends on when the Committee members are able to process the application as there are several overlapping stages of applications and funding periods. When you receive the 'MRSA EDT Granted Funds' email with the reimbursement amount, you will know that Payroll is working to add the amount to one of the following pays. The time frame for this depends on where Payroll is in the pay cycle when they receive the reimbursement report from EDT.

Reimbursement goes through Payroll and is added to your pay; it cannot be reimbursed via any other method including transfer to FOAP.

You will need to write a cheque for the reimbursed amount (or agreed upon amount) with Mount Royal University as the payee. The Department contact will need to complete a Cash Remittance form specifying which FOAP is being reimbursed; they will then submit the form and cheque to Finance (to access the Cash Remittance template: open Excel, click File, Open, navigate to P:\FORMS\MR Templates folder, and open the Cash Office Remittance Form template)

If it is a specific request from your Manager/Supervisor, the Department should be willing to pay for that course. Given that funding can be difficult at this level, you may apply for funding through the EDT program.

Only if you have indicated that the course is paid for by your Department and the application includes their contact information. They will be emailed upon application submission as well as the payout notice.

EDT covers the cost of taking the course (tuition and mandatory student fees), the conference/workshop registration fees, eligible travel and accommodations fees, recreation group classes, and personal training (must be at least 4 or more in the group). Any GST charged is also covered. Please also see 'How much will I be reimbursed?'.

Textbooks, examinations, membership dues for professional designations/clubs, individual lessons (must be a minimum of 4 participants), grad donations, optional insurance costs (e.g. medical or dental) and optional meals/activities/per diems are not eligible for EDT funding.

The application database automatically sends out emailed confirmations when steps are done. At minimum there will be 5 emails throughout the process: application submitted, application approval, proof of completion submitted, proof of completion step approval, and granted funds notification. You will also get emails if you are missing information from your application or if the Committee requires more information. EDT may also send a reminder email if you have not done your Attendance/Proof of Completion step.

Applications are non-transferrable. If you transfer to another course you must cancel the original application and place an application for the new course, even if it is the same cost.

It is the assumption that the applicant will continue their employment at Mount Royal University once the course is completed. Reimbursement is contingent upon the course completion, passing grades received, and active employment status at Mount Royal University. If you are no longer an Employee of MRU at the time of course completion you will not be eligible to receive a reimbursement. If your course end date is prior to your end date, you are still eligible for funding.

If you are not satisfied with an EDT Committee decision, email the committee at edtmrsa@mtroyal.ca appealing the decision, and copy it to the MRSA President. The appeal will then be discussed at the EDT Committee meeting. If a decision cannot be made, then the decision will be reviewed by the MRSA President, who will make the final decision.