National Secretary-Treasurer's Report - September 2024

Dear Sisters, Brothers, and Friends:

Over the summer, our union was busy focussing on internal development, strategic planning and ensuring that locals and members are well-supported and prepared for the many challenges ahead. Some of our leaders and members are gearing up for a season of heightened activities with strategic rounds of bargaining and campaigning that will be extremely consequential. As always, CUPE will be there to assist and support you in every way possible.

The next few months will also bring important fights in the political arena. Our role as a national union that has always been proud of its political convictions and work is to help elect progressive governments. Our organization, staff, leaders, and members can and must influence the directions we take collectively in the political arena by helping elect leaders who share our values, respect our members and the public services they provide every single day, and are willing to engage in a true dialogue on ambitious, bold and progressive policy-making.

Central to our mission is empowering our members to fully grasp and exercise their political and social agency. This empowerment is evident in the workplace, where collective action leads to strong contracts, and in the political arena, where recognizing their agency enables members to drive meaningful and progressive change for themselves and their communities. It is always a privilege to stand with them and support their bold ambitions. 

Alberta Bargaining Summit

On June 21 and 22, I met our Alberta members and leaders who were gathering in Calgary for the Waging Ahead Bargaining Summit. The government of Alberta loves to boast about being the richest province in Canada, yet it cannot pay a living wage to frontline workers who offer care and support to some of the most vulnerable members of our communities. Workers are tired of relentless exploitation, and they are taking a stand. We understand that when we organize and mobilize when locals unite and coordinate their demands, we become a formidable and unstoppable force. I have no doubt that we will achieve significant victories in Alberta in the coming months and years, inspiring even more workers to rise up and demand better.

OCHU Rally

On July 10, I stood alongside health care workers and leaders from the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions to protest the expansion of privatization in Ontario’s health care system. Like other conservative governments, the Ford administration has systematically underfunded public health care. Now, it is exploiting the very real health care crisis to privatize one of our most essential public services. Privatization and the pursuit of profit result in higher costs, longer wait times, poorer patient outcomes, terrible working conditions for essential caregivers, and chronic staffing shortages. Doug Ford can expect CUPE and OCHU to do everything possible to reverse this trend.

Canadian Health Coalition Rally

On July 16, I was honored to speak at the Canadian Health Coalition rally in Halifax. The rally, which coincided with Canada’s Premiers’ meeting in Halifax, aimed to spotlight the consequences of government neglect of our public health care system. Every day, a quarter of a million CUPE members provide health care services across our country, with the Canadian public relying on their expertise, compassion, and dedication during times of illness. Our members witness firsthand the consequences of deliberate government neglect. It is long overdue for our country’s premiers and the Prime Minister to listen to health care workers and all Canadians who are calling for sustained public investment. Only with such commitment can we ensure to have the public health care system they need and deserve.

Public Health Care Breakfast with Canada’s Premiers

On July 16, I attended a breakfast hosted by the Canadian Federation of Nurses’ Unions (CFNU), during the Council of the Federation meeting in Halifax. Eleven premiers were in attendance. The event featured a panel including Dr. Jane Philpott, former federal Minister of Health, long-term care expert Dr. Samir Sinha, and Nova Scotia nurse practitioner Santina Weatherby. At this event, the CFNU and other unions in attendance pressed premiers to work with the federal government to support the health care system by improving access to care at every stage of life. Key demands included enforcing mandatory long-term care standards, enforcing health care worker-patient ratios to address unsustainable workloads and improve patient care, ensuring everyone has access to primary care in their communities, and collaborating on a pan-Canadian approach to health care workforce data in order to ensure retention and a stable publicly-funded system.

Provincial Council of Social Affairs’ BBQ

On July 18, I had the pleasure of joining members of CUPE Local 2881 and leaders from CUPE Quebec and the Provincial Council of Social Affairs at Lakeshore Hospital in Montreal for their summer barbecue. Under a sunny sky, I had the privilege of giving back a small part of the care and support our health care members provide daily to their patients. In the wake of the CAQ government’s adoption of Bill 15, CUPE locals in Quebec’s social affairs sector are gearing up for unprecedented representation votes, potentially occurring as early as next year. These votes will impact all unions in health care and social services by consolidating more than 130 bargaining units into only 6. Despite the significant work ahead, the enthusiasm I saw that July 18 leaves me confident that social affairs workers will choose CUPE.

CUPE Manitoba Executive Board Retreat

On August 20, I had the pleasure of joining CUPE Manitoba’s Executive Board at their annual retreat. We explored some of CUPE’s significant initiatives, including our work on employment equity and the progress under our Safe Union Spaces program to tackle sexual and gender-based harassment. The meeting also provided a chance to review our union’s financial health and its capacity to support members’ ambitious collective bargaining efforts, our enhanced National Defence Fund campaign funding, and how to best leverage our collective strength to promote the election of progressive governments across Canada. I want to extend my gratitude to Gina McKay, Carmen Prefontaine, CUPE’s newest regional vice-president, and all the members of CUPE Manitoba’s Executive Board for the invitation and insightful discussions.

Labour Day

On Labour Day, I joined the picnic hosted by the Durham Regional Labour Council in the community where I live. It was a great opportunity to connect with members and community partners while watching the kids have fun with games, face painting, balloons and ice cream.

Organizers’ Meeting

On September 10, I had the opportunity to meet with our dedicated staff organizers. During the meeting, I was able to listen to their detailed reports on ongoing organizing drives and representation votes happening across the country. These discussions highlighted the diverse efforts and challenges our teams are facing as they work tirelessly to build solidarity and strengthen the voice of workers nationwide.

CUPE Local 2361 Picket Line – London

On September 13, I joined the members of CUPE Local 2361 at Western University in London on the 2^nd week of their strike. Like so many of our members, CUPE Local 2361 members are dealing with low wages and out-of-control workloads. A staffing crisis is hitting public sector workers across the country, and at Western, that means facilities on campus are deteriorating. CUPE members take pride in their work, and I know the frustration they feel when their working conditions mean they can’t provide the high quality they are capable of. We hosted a rally and supplied food trucks and a donation.

Alberta Health Care Rally

On September 14, I had planned to stand alongside our members in Calgary for a powerful Health Care Day of Action. Unfortunately, after travelling to the airport and getting ready for departure, flight delays forced me to cancel my participation. The event was organized by the CUPE Alberta Health Care Committee and the dedicated members of CUPE Local 8. The pictures and reports from the event speak to very successful rallies in both Calgary and Edmonton. Congratulations to CUPE Local 8 President Kelly Spence and CUPE Alberta President Rory Gill. Public health care is a right that must be protected for all.

Safe Union Spaces – New Office

Though it took a bit longer than anticipated, I am thrilled to welcome Sarah Scanlon as the new director of CUPE’s Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment Prevention and Support Office. Sarah will play a crucial role in building a team dedicated to supporting and working with members experiencing harassment and violence within our union spaces. I am genuinely excited about the bold steps we are taking to address deep-seated, systemic, and often hidden issues. Our union will undoubtedly benefit from this crucial work, and I join Mark in extending our best wishes to Sarah as they embark on this important mission.

Welcome Jasen Murphy – Managing Director, Finance & Administration

I am pleased to report that our new Managing Director of Finance and Administration has started his work with CUPE. Jasen joins us from the CLC and will replace Tammy Griffin who is retiring in December. With many years of experience at the CLC, I am confident that Jasen brings the necessary skills, expertise and dedication to lead our Finance and Administration Department.

National Strike Fund Regulations Assessment

The NEB sub-committee tasked with working on revisions to the National Strike Fund Regulations has met and developed recommendations which will be presented to the NEB for approval at its September meeting, I want to thank the sub-committee, the staff in finance and the EAs in the NSTO for their support during this process.

 Collective Bargaining with Unifor 2013

On July 3 and 4, and August 27 and 28, we met with Unifor 2013 to work on the renewal of the collective agreement between CUPE and our national representatives in the Quebec region. We are still in the early stages of the bargaining process, and the negotiation of a new collective agreement for some of our Quebec staff will undoubtedly be a priority over the next few months.    

National Disaster Relief Fund

A warm and dry winter, combined with a historically hot summer, created the perfect conditions for another catastrophic wildfire season. By the end of July, we watched in anguish as news from Jasper, Alberta, revealed residents being forced to evacuate due to a fast-moving wildfire. Some of our members at locals 1458 and 1357 were deeply affected, with some losing their homes and places of employment. The despair and uncertainty caused by this devastating situation call for a surge of solidarity and support - an outpouring that CUPE knows how to deliver. In the wake of this tragedy, we promptly reinstated our National Disaster Relief Fund and urged all chartered organizations to consider contributing. Donations are still coming in and will be directed to support the community of Jasper and other Canadians who may be impacted by wildfires or other climate change-related natural disasters.

To date, we have received donations totalling $63,015 from 42 locals, divisions and individuals.

A motion will be presented to the NEB at the September meeting to approve CUPE’s allocation of $100,000 to this Fund.

CONFERENCES AND EVENTS

It has been a productive summer. We hosted several meetings, including numerous national committees’ meetings, branch meetings, and Regional Directors’ meetings, among others. We are also preparing for three major events coming up in the fall and spring.

Sector Council Conference

Planning is well underway for our 2024 Sector Council Conference, which will take place at the RBC Convention Centre in Winnipeg from October 7 to 10, 2024. Registration for the Sector Council Conference opened on Tuesday, June 25, and is set to close on September 20. At the time this report went to print, we had 717 delegates registered from 212 locals.

Dollars and Sen$e Conference

The NSTO is working hard planning the Dollars and Sen$e Conference which is scheduled to take place on October 27 to 30, 2024, at the Halifax Convention Centre. This three-day conference is organized with the support of the Atlantic and Maritimes Division Presidents. The event will feature expert guest speakers and dynamic workshops designed to equip treasurers and trustees with the knowledge and skills needed to make confident financial decisions. At the time this report went to print, we had 94 delegates registered from 48 locals.

Spring 2025 Conference and Young Workers’ Event

Looking ahead, planning is also underway for our 2025 National Conference – Building Strong Locals, scheduled for March 4 to 7, 2025, at the Montreal Convention Centre. Immediately prior to the conference, on March 3 and 4, we will also be hosting a Young Workers Conference, which was approved at the 2023 National Convention.

REPORT ON THE 2023 CONVENTION’S ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE IMPACT

Carbonzero was hired by CUPE to quantify greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the 2023 National Convention in Québec City. This was the seventh time that CUPE has assessed the emissions generated by a national convention and the sixth time that Carbonzero has provided a comprehensive assessment of the convention.

The process identifies sources of carbon pollution linked to hosting our national convention, offsets those emissions with investments in environmental organizations and projects, and looks for steps to reduce emissions and their subsequent harmful climate impacts at future CUPE national conventions and events.

With a return to an in-person event, CUPE’s carbon emissions have returned to their high level, which is inconsistent with our goals to reduce emissions in line with what’s called for in our National Environment Policy.

CUPE’s revised National Environment Policy commits CUPE to take stronger steps to reduce its carbon footprint and cut its emissions as an organization.

Summary Results

The key results from the quantification of greenhouse gas emissions at the 2023 CUPE National Convention held October 23 to 27 are summarized here.

• In 2023, our CUPE National Convention emitted a total of 1,737.65 carbon equivalent tonnes of pollution compared to 57.91 in 2021, when our convention was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to 1,746.88 tonnes in 2019.
• Air travel by far polluted the most, with 93.7% of all convention emissions coming from flying to and from the event, resulting in a total of 1,575.96 carbon equivalent tonnes of pollution from this form of travel. By comparison, attendees who travelled by train emitted 47.77 carbon equivalent tonnes of pollution, which was 0.027% of all convention pollution.
• For the first time, Carbonzero assessed hotel stay pollution. 95.23 carbon equivalent tonnes of pollution came from staying in hotels (energy associated with those stays), which represented 0.04% of all convention pollution.
• Venue energy use and waste data were also collected. These data points have a very small overall impact, with 0.009% of convention pollution coming from these sources.

Carbon offset payments at $65 per tonne will go directly to organizations that work with CUPE on environmental issues or to organizations doing work that aligns with CUPE’s environmental priorities. This year, $112,947.25 be evenly distributed among the following recipient organizations: Economy Network, Climate Action Network Canada, Nature Quebec, Lake Winnipeg Foundation and Coastal Action Centre.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE QUARTER ENDED JUNE 30, 2024

GENERAL FUND

Statement of Financial Position

Assets: The total assets in the General Fund at June 30, 2024 were $418.2 million compared to $402 million at December 31, 2023 and $374 million at June 30, 2023.

The bank balance of $9.5 million at June 30, 2024 is a $5.4 million decrease from the bank balance at December 31, 2023. The bank balance includes various internal cash reserves which are set aside for the 2025 convention, retirement payouts, future benefits funding, property maintenance and the Regional Building Fund.

Liabilities: The total liabilities in the General Fund were $344.6 million at June 30, 2024 compared to $333.4 million at December 31, 2023 and $327.5 million at June 30, 2023.

Employee Future Benefits Obligation: As at December 31, 2023, CUPE had recorded the full liability of $269.0 million on the Balance Sheet and had met the goal of the Employee Future Benefit Roadmap that was put in place in 2005. Since then, we have continued to book the expenses according to the budget for the first half of 2024. As at June 30, 2024, the liability recorded for employees’ future benefits stands at $281.6 million.

Since the inception of the Roadmap in 2005, we had been increasing the amount of the annual expense for the general provision for Employee Future Benefits by $900,000 each year. In the 2023 budget, we reduced the increase to $750,000 and in 2024, for the very first time, we reduced the general provision by $2 million. We will be undergoing a more comprehensive review of this budget item as we prepare the 2025 budget.

Fund Balance: The Fund Balance at June 30, 2024 is $73.6 million of which a total of $3.8 million is restricted as follows: Convention and National Events Assistance Fund, $1.4 million and Regional Building Fund, $2.4 million. Of the remaining Fund Balance, we have invested $74.8 million in fixed assets, leaving a negative unrestricted balance of $5.0 million.

This means that all the equity in the General Fund is spoken for either in terms of being allocated for a restricted purpose or tied up in fixed assets.

Statement of Operations

The operating surplus for the year to date is $4.7 million.

Revenue: Total revenue was $148 million compared to a budget of $134.5 million.
Per Capita Tax and Initiation Fees made up $137 million of the total revenue and came in at $4.6 million over budget. Interest and unrealized gains accounted for $10.6 million of the total revenue.

Expenses: Total expenses were $143.3 million, which came in at $6.3 million over budget.

Salaries are under budget by $476,000, current benefits are over budget by $574,000 and future benefits, excluding the provision to add the investment gains and losses to the liability, are over budget by $178,000. Directors’ and Representatives’ salaries are nearly on budget, while Administrative and Technical Salaries are 1.7% or $127,000 over budget. Clerical salaries are also nearly right on budget. Vacation Relief is under budget by 51% or $551,000.

Operating Expenses

Below are some of the more significant items on operating expenses at
June 30, 2024:

1. Overall programs for the national departments are $1,416,000 under budget, with some of this due to the timing of expenditures incurred.
2. Strategic Directions is $747,000 under budget to this point in the year.
3. Election Spending is over budget by $1.2 million due to a $1.5 million contribution to the CLC for an independent expenditure campaign regarding Poilievre that was not budgeted for.   
4. Operational Travel costs are $1.4 million over budget. We suspect this is a timing difference as there is more travel in the first two quarters of the year than in other quarters. This budget has been increased by just under $2.0 million in 2024, and we expect that we will be able to live within the overall budget for the year.

NATIONAL DEFENCE FUND

Statement of Financial Position

Assets: As at June 30, 2024, we have $38.0 million in total assets compared to $36.4 million at December 31, 2023 and $29.7 million at June 30, 2023. The cash balance of $4.5 million at June 30, 2024 is down $774,000 compared to December 31, 2023 and up $2 million from June 30, 2023. In addition, we have investments totalling $29.1 million on the books at June 30, 2024, up $3.4 million
from December 31, 2023. Finally, $1.8 million is due from the General Fund at June 30, 2024 relating to the transfer of surplus that took place at the end of 2023.

Liabilities: As at June 30, 2024, our total liabilities amounted to $17.0 million. This included $1.9 million in accounts payable and accrued liabilities compared to $2.2 million at December 31, 2023, and $469,000 at June 30, 2023. There was also $15.2 million in cost-shared campaigns’ liabilities, an increase of $2.1 million from December 31, 2023.

Fund Balance: At June 30, 2024, the Fund Balance was $21.0 million, down $135,000 from December 31, 2023.

Statement of Operations

As at June 30, 2024, the Fund had an operating deficit of $14,000. When unrealized losses are factored in, the net deficit amounts to $135,000.

Of note is that the National Executive Board has approved an overall budget deficit for the year of $3,129,000. This is a measure taken to spend some of the surplus that has been building in the Defence Fund over the past few years by enhancing temporary staffing capacity and increasing campaign resources in 2024. This deficit is not a result of spending more than we have. The National Executive Board made a deliberate decision to bring down the Fund surplus over a multi-year plan and as a result, a deficit position in the Fund is fully expected.

Revenue: Total revenue in the Fund for the first half of 2024 is $8.7 million. Per capita tax allocated to the Fund to June 30, 2024, was $8.1 million, and $610,000 in interest was earned on investments.

Expenses: Total expenses in the Fund were $8.8 million as follows:

Cost-shared Campaigns: $4,492,395 in cost-shared campaigns have been approved by the National Executive Board with an annual budget of $5.5 million. There was a recovery of $1.3 million in unused funds from prior years’ cost-shared campaigns that have been closed out during the quarter.

Major Organizing Expenses: Expenses for the first half of 2024 were $2.0 million against an annual budget of $5.0 million.

National Strategic Initiatives: Expenses for the first half of 2024 were $1.0 million against an annual budget of $2.7 million.

Regional Strategic Initiatives: Expenses for the first half of 2024 were $737,000 with a budget for the year of $4.08 million.

Temporary Representative Positions: This is a new schedule for 2024 to account for one temporary representative position for each region that has been added to the 2024 budget. Actual spending in the first half of 2024 was $441,000 against an annual budget of $1.7 million.

NATIONAL STRIKE FUND

Statement of Financial Position

Assets: Total assets in the National Strike Fund as of June 30, 2024 were $127.7 million, slightly up from $127.0 million at December 31, 2023. These assets consisted of $12.3 million in cash, $2.7 million in per capita receivable and $112.5 million in investments.

Liabilities: We have accounts payable and accrued liabilities totalling $2.0 million compared to $2.5 million at December 31, 2023.

Fund Balance: At June 30, 2024, the Fund Balance was $125.7 million, compared to $124.6 million at December 31, 2023.

Statement of Operations

At June 30, 2024 the Fund had an operating surplus of $1.7 million and unrealized losses of $589,000, bringing the net surplus to $1.1 million.

Revenue: Total revenue, including realized investment income, was $10.6 million.

Expenses: Total expenses at June 30, 2024 were $8.9 million as follows:

Strike Related Expenses:                       $6,710,614

Strike Averting Expenses:                      $1,331,764

Legal and Arbitration Expenses:             $391,925

Bargaining Rights Legal Challenges:      $500,000

STRIKES AND LOCKOUTS FOR THE Q2 2024 FINANCIAL REPORTING PERIOD

CUPE members are standing up and demanding more and better all across the country. During the Q2 reporting period, the following locals were on strike, or locked out:

Local 2614 (QC) – Société des Arrimeurs du Québec (lockout)

Local 2815 (QC) – Vidéotron (lockout)

Local 306 (QC) – City of Longueuil

Local 2804 (QC) – Town of Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac

Local 1638 (QC) – Québec City

Local 1490 (ON) – Town of Black River-Matheson

Local 3903 (ON) – York University.

STRIKES, LOCKOUTS AND SETTLEMENTS FOR THE CURRENT QUARTER (Q3)

At the date of writing this report, the following locals had been on strike or locked out in the current quarter:

Local 2614 (QC) – Société des Arrimeurs de Québec, 81 members locked out since September 15, 2022.

Local 2815 (QC) – Vidéotron, 214 members locked out since October 30, 2023.

Local 1638 (QC) – Québec City, 1,350 outside workers on strike from June 21 to 23, July 10 to 15 and September 12 and 13.

Local 5499 (QC) – Office de l’habitation de Longueuil, 33 inside workers on strike on July 8 to 10.

Local 2566 (QC) – Town of Saint-Constant, 110 inside and outside workers on strike on July 18 and 19.

Local 2361 (ON) – Western University, 340 support workers on strike since August 30.

Local 3434 (QC) – Société des transports de Sherbrooke, 170 members on strike on from September 9 to 11.

PER CAPITA ARREARS

For the quarter ended June 30, 2024, the total arrears were $11,309,327, which was an increase of $3,187,289 or 39.24% from the previous quarter ended March 2024.

Total arrears have increased by 35.12% as compared to June 2023. Overall arrears per member are $15.26, an increase from $11.59 in June 2023. Arrears per member are calculated based on the December 31, 2023, twelve-month average membership of 741,254.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) REPORT

Member Relationship Management System (MRMS) Enhancements

The IT development team continues to focus on enhancing the MRMS modules, including the Events Management (EM) module for managing conferences, CUPE’s National Convention, Education (ED) module for managing workshops offered by CUPE, and the Local Union Information (LUI) module.

LUI’s latest enhancements include designing and building new reporting capabilities, including analytical reporting. The LUI enhancements are tentatively scheduled to be released in Q1 2025.

A new JustPay application is ready to start the testing phase. The JustPay application helps Job Evaluation Representatives create and test a variety of weighing, banding, and costing scenarios for job evaluations. The new application is tentatively scheduled to be released in Q4 of 2024.

The IT team is working in collaboration with the NEB Sub-Committee on the National Strike Fund Regulations on the implementation of electronic strike forms and is starting the testing phase of a new case management solution for the Legal Branch.

Legacy Accounting System (Dynamics SL) Replacement

We are moving to a new system called Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations (F&O). The project to implement Dynamics 365 F&O is well underway, with implementation targeted for December 2024.

Per Capita Tax System Replacement (will be renamed LRS, Local Remittance System)

A portion of the PCT system overlaps with an accounting system and given the replacement of CUPE’s accounting system, we will be taking this opportunity to create a more automated integration between the new LRS and the new F&O accounting system. The new LRS project is well underway, and implementation with the new accounting system is targeted for December 2024.

Avanti

The enhancement to Avanti for capturing self-identification data related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is now fully operational.

The feature allowing access to and acceptance of CUPE policies through Avanti Employee Self-Service (ESS) has been demonstrated to the HR team. The IT team is currently awaiting HR’s feedback.

The Pension team has identified several system updates needed for the Pension Module to improve daily operations. These requested updates are now ready for discussion with the HR system vendor.

Information Management (IM) Solution – CUPEDocs

The rollout of the new CUPEDocs system has begun in the regions, with the Maritimes selected as the starting point. The CUPEDocs team is working closely with all staff in the region.

The role of the Information Lead (IL) has also been reactivated for the Maritimes region to support the CUPEDocs rollout, and the team was focused on supporting Maritimes staff through various cleanup initiatives.

Finally, the CUPEDocs Team is continuously refining the solution design for regional information. This will enable the team to develop tailored training that addresses the unique requirements of each region while maintaining standardization across regions wherever possible.

PROPERTIES AND LEASEHOLDS

We are very pleased to announce the addition of Katie Billingsley, as Administrative Officer, to our property management team. Katie will be responsible for delivering property management services for a portion of our portfolio. Katie’s diverse experience and expertise in real estate will be a great asset to our property management team and to CUPE.

During this third quarter of the year, we have completed negotiations for the renewal of national procurement agreements with Black & McDonald, who performs the maintenance and repairs of all our mechanical equipment, and with Teknion, who supplies furniture for all our offices.

Regarding leasing activity, we have successfully negotiated a renewal and expansion agreement in St. John’s, as well as a renewal agreement in Pembroke. We are currently working on various leasing files for the Sydney, Corner Brook, Timmins, Peterborough, Thunder Bay, and Prince George offices.

We have ongoing leasehold improvement projects in Sudbury, New Glasgow, Regina, Edmonton, Lethbridge and Kitchener. We have also started preliminary requirement investigations for the complete renovations of the Quebec Regional Office.

We are working on capital investment projects in several properties, including an HVAC upgrade at the BCRO, renovations to the Comox Area Office, electric vehicle charging stations at the Ontario Regional Office, and numerous building systems and security systems upgrades throughout the portfolio.

PENSION ADMINISTRATION

The 2023 pension annual statements were mailed to all active, retired, and deferred plan members at the end of June. For pension estimates purposes, active plan members also have access to their current and past pension annual statements through the Plan’s website at www.cepp.ca.

The retirees’ inflation protection payments will be made on September 1, 2024, as a result of the January 1, 2024, actuarial valuation and in accordance with the Plan provisions. Effective January 1, 2024, members who retired prior to January 1, 2023, had their pension benefits payable from the CEPP increased by 1.76%. This rate was proportionally adjusted for those who retired in 2023. The June payments also included a retroactive adjustment for the period from January 1 to August 31, 2024. A letter with indexation details was sent to all retired members in August.

The Joint Board of Trustees will hold its JBT meeting on September 11, 2024, to discuss ongoing issues and activities of the pension plan.

The spring edition of the CEPP newsletter “Pension Connection” is available on the CEPP website.

The 2024 Pre-Retirement Planning seminars will be delivered in person. CEPP members who are eligible to attend have been invited. The first seminar will be held in Winnipeg, Manitoba, from September 22 to 23, 2024.

The JBT is experiencing some changes with the CUPE Trustees.  Recently, we have replaced Alison Davidson with Jasen Murphy and Trevor Davies has announced his resignation as a CUPE Trustee. I want to thank Alison and Trevor for this support and leadership while serving as CUPE Trustees on the pension board. Trevor will be replaced in the days ahead.

Retirements