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Toronto Star Thu Mar 5 2015

Ontario's nurses, social workers, lab technicians and other hospital staff have a lot of reasons to smile today. At a time when most pension plans are cutting benefits, their Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) has just increased inflation protection for its 295,000 members. Instead of covering 75 per cent of the annual increases in the cost of living, HOOPP is raising the bar to 100 per cent. While many plans struggle with underfunding, Ontario's third-largest pension fund has $1.15 on hand for every $1 it must spend. Stocks on the Toronto market returned 7.4 per cent on average in 2014, while HOOPP returned a record 17.71 per cent. The plan's average return in each of the last 10 years is 10.27 per cent.

CEO Jim Keohane seemed almost embarrassed Wednesday as he discussed his annual results. He noted sombrely, "We have the highest 10-year return of any global pension plan." Hey, let me in. Where can I get a pension plan like that? Well, in the private sector, nowhere. The surest way to rouse readers from slumber to red hot anger is to suggest that anything in the public sector can be better than the same thing done privately. The profit motive is the only way to breed efficiency, some say. Let the market decide. Government and quasi-government agencies are fat, wasteful and largely corrupt. You can add lazy, unproductive and incompetent.

The Globe and Mail Thu Mar 5 2015

The pension plan for Ontario health-care workers earned an industry-leading 18-per-cent return last year despite market turmoil and falling oil prices, saying its low-risk investment strategy paid off in a high-risk market. The Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) said it earned a 17.7-per-cent return on its investment portfolio in 2014, propelling its total assets to $60.8billion from $51.6-billion a year earlier. HOOPP said its pension plan has a substantial surplus, with assets now equal to 115 per cent of its estimated liability for providing pensions to members.

"Despite the major risk factor working against us, we've been able to increase our funding surplus to 115 per cent, and we remain fully funded," he told reporters Wednesday. "That's a very gratifying outcome, given what went on. A very major risk factor went against us this year, and it could have resulted in a very significant decline in our funded ratio." HOOPP, which invests pension money for 295,000 health-care workers and retirees, has not changed its contribution rates for members since 2004, while some other public sector pension plans have had large contribution increases. The fund also said it is restoring full inflation indexation to pension benefits for retirees because of its funding position. Inflation indexation was reduced to 75 per cent in 2002 when HOOPP had a deficit, but the fund now can afford to fully index-pension benefits to inflation in 2015, Mr. Keohane said.

May 6, 2014

EDMONTON – CUPE Alberta President Marle Roberts is crediting front line public employees for calling, emailing and visiting the offices of MLAs in an effort to slow down legislation cutting their pension plans. “From the beginning, we told the government changes to pension plans should be negotiated, not legislated,” said Roberts. “Our members took up that call and made their voices heard.” Roberts said she was pleased the Alberta government announced public hearings into the pension changes. “Negotiation would be better,” said Roberts.  “But hopefully this is the start of a more respectful process, one that builds retirement security instead of tearing it down.

Sep 9, Dryden: Holiday Inn Express585 Government StDryden ON, P8N 2Z4Venue booked 9:30am-3pm

he Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) mini conference will combine a review of the pension plan’s benefits conducted by HOOPP staff. This session will give activists new insight into how benefits are calculated, and the special provisions related to employee disability and the buy-back of past service, among others.HOOPP staff will be available to answer questions.The afternoon will be spent looking at the plan’s current and projected financial balance sheet and discussing possible pension plan improvements. HOOPP chair and CUPE Trustee Helen Fetterly will lead this discussion.Activists will use electronic voting to select options that will direct our HOOPP trustees going forward, to build support on the board of directors for the priorities for the future as identified in these workshops.This mini conference will be one of the most informative and engaging educational opportunities for activists this fall.

TRADES FOCUS GROUPS September 27, 7-9pm:Northern Ontario Teleconference Call for Trades PeopleSeptember 28, 5-7pmSudbury Focus GroupRoyal Canadian Legion, Branch 76 1553 Weller St, Sudbury ON September 29, 5-7pmNorth Bay Focus GroupRoyal Canadian Legion, Branch 23150 First Ave West, North Bay ON

Only those not covered by workplace plans would get supplement to CPP

May 11, 2014

The proposed Ontario Registered Pension Plan would not likely do much good for the baby boom generation, but it would be a big benefit for people who are now in their 20s and 30s. The plan, proposed in Ontario's budget May 1 and never publicly debated because of the province's election call, is nonetheless getting attention from across the country because of its potential to fill a significant gap in pension coverage.

Friday, February 27, 2015 Location: Empire La

11th annual pension forum (hosted by SHARE and the B.C. Federation of Labour) Join Canadian pension leaders to learn and exchange views about solutions to improving retirement security in today’s complex and dynamic public policy and capital market environment.

Friday, May 20, 2016 Today unions of the Canadian Labour Congress launched a new website and ad campaign to raise awareness about the need for a universal expansion of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). “With 600,000 Canadian seniors living in poverty, and 11 million workers lacking a workplace pension plan, retirement is something all Canadians need to start thinking about today. Even for employees with workplace pension plans, affording a modest retirement can be a struggle,” said CLC President Hassan Yussuff.

Apr 19, 2016

Fredericton – CUPE NB has filed an appeal of the Government’s refusal to disclose actuarial documents surrounding the public sector pension plan benefits promised under the new “Shared Risk” model. Documents will permit CUPE NB to evaluate the claims government made about the security of the model.

The big bank executives who gambled away working Americans' benefits are still getting lavish packages as the social safety net collapses.

April 29, 2016

By Jake Johnson

May 18, 2016

Employees at Charleswood Care Centre in Winnipeg held info pickets all day on Monday, May 16, in an effort to raise public awareness that in Manitoba private, for-profit long-term care workers have very little financial security in retirement.

Jun 28, 2016

The federal government’s March 22 budget made one thing very clear: the previous government’s active support for infrastructure privatization is destined to continue and may even expand under the Liberals.

Jun 10, 2016

Fredericton, NB – The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) has served the province of New Brunswick with a Notice of Motion to intervene in a lawsuit launched by the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) against the unilateral conversion of the province’s Public Service Pension Plan into a Shared Risk Pension Plan.

Jun 16, 2016

Please let your provincial Finance Minister know you support CPP expansion. Visit our campaign page to send a message now!

A growing number of business and financial sector voices with histories of strong opposition to expanding the Canada Pension Plan have suddenly accepted that our public, not-for-profit, pension system should grow. Their newfound support, however, comes with many caveats. Their strategy now focuses on ensuring any expansion of the CPP is overly narrow and extremely modest.

April 1, 2014

CALGARY — Covering the cost of health care and providing a pension for every Canadian will push the country $2.2-trillion further into debt, a new report by the Fraser Institute suggests. The analysis in the report released Tuesday calculates the liability for the current cohort of Canadians — that means the promised program spending for people living today less expected tax revenues. And as the population ages and relatively fewer young Canadians enter the workplace — and pay taxes to pay for program spending — the shortfall, or unfunded liability, has continued to increase. It has grown by more than 20% since 2007-08. “If the governments continue on the path that they’re on, something has got to give,” says Charles Lammam, resident scholar in economic policy at the conservative think-tank. “Taxes have to go up, or benefits for other programs have to be reduced in order to maintain the same levels of spending we see now.”

National Post Wed Sep 9 2015

As the old saying goes, the first casualty in war is the truth. Observing the run-up to the October 2015 federal election, this old adage seems appropriate. The pre-election period has seen an unprecedented amount of advertising by so-called "third parties" (entities other than the political parties themselves) criticizing the current federal government. And much of this advertising has made claims that are just downright lies.

For instance, Unifor, the amalgamation of the old Canadian Auto Workers and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers, has consistently run ads opposing the current Conservative federal government. Their ads have been based on claims that Canada is experiencing terrible economic times as a result of the policies of that government. For example, according to these ads unemployment is at horrendous levels and on the rise.

14/October/2015

Toronto, Ont. – Employees of the Hospital for Sick Children are taking their fight for the same disability and pension benefits workers enjoy at almost every other hospital in the province.“The Hospital for Sick Children is a world leader in patient care and research, but it lags far behind its peers in how it treats its own sick and retired employees, says Julian Harney, vice- president of the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions/CUPE for the GTA.

“ Staff live in poverty if they suffer a long-term illness under the Hospital for Sick Children’s long-term disability plan, because it is so inferior. Sick Kids has refused to join the Hospitals of Ontario Disability Plan, which almost every other hospital in Ontario participates in and the hospital is the only one in Ontario that refuses to join the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan” says Leonora Foster, president of CUPE Local 2816, which represents employees at the hospital.Hospital staff on their 30-minute lunch break will rally October 15, outside the hospital at 555 University Ave. at noon.

The Daily Gleaner (Fredericton) Sat May 17 2014

More unfortunately, at present, with interest rates nearly at an all time low, the plans are found to be "in deficit," and top-ups are required, but this money cannot be invested at the higher returns that were available when interest rates were higher, so more is required each year.

If the province had made matching contributions over the life of the plans, it would undoubtedly not be in its present predicament. Contributions by the employees were mandatory. Contributions by the province unfortunately were not.

December 15, 2014

“What we have here are five pages of contempt,” added Sylvain Mallette, president of the Fédération autonome de l’enseignement. “Quebec is saying to its employees, you are not worth the rate of inflation.

“This is a government that wants to drive its employees out of the public sector.” It was the part of Quebec’s package designed to discourage workers from retiring by increasing the retirement age from 60 to 62 that appears to have caught the unions off guard.

Cape Breton Post Fri Mar 27 2015

Every spring, we seem to get the same old song from the usual right-wing groups, such as the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, and the Fraser Institute. They always look to play the blame game, pitting the public sector and its unions and the private sector against one another just in time for the spring budgets. The spin seems to be that people making a decent living with benefits in the public sector is a bad thing, and that those workers' wages should be brought down and their benefits and pensions slashed.

They completely ignore the real reason that wages are higher in the public sector - namely, that historical wage and benefit inequities for women and other equality seeking groups have been addressed much more thoroughly in the public sector. That's the real news story here: Equality seeking groups - including 51 per cent of the population (women) - continue to be dramatically underpaid and undervalued in the private sector. The other important questions they never seem to address are: What actually happens to the people who don't have those benefits, who don't have a pension? What happens when they retire, when they get sick, when they need dental work, have vision problems or other major health issues that are not covered by public health care? What happens to the folks who don't have a drug plan and can't afford their medication? Shouldn't we be having a conversation about how to ensure all workers make a decent wage, have a job with benefits and a pension they can retire on with some dignity ... in both the private and public sector?

A federal firewall has just gone up between Ottawa and Queen's Park: emails ignored, letters snubbed, meetings refused.

The premier professes to be unfazed by the federal government's habit of rounding on - and then tuning out - Canada's biggest province. How to describe the chill wind blowing in from the nation's capital? "I wouldn't say it's actively rancorous," Wynne told me, defaulting to diplomacy mode. "It's just - there are issues we've got to work out, and there are disagreements." Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is leading the charge of the smite brigade.

Despite getting the cold shoulder from Ottawa, Ontario is far from isolated. Next month, Wynne will chair a meeting of her fellow premiers as the province hosts the Council of the Federation in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. She organized a conference call among her counterparts, last week, to forge a co-ordinated provincial stance on job training programs (whence the federal Tories are unilaterally shifting money around.)