Good morning,

I am pleased to share with you our 2020/21 Annual Report, now available online.

Despite the challenges we all faced in this unprecedented year, we continued to make progress and maintain our high-quality service delivery, all while keeping our employees safe—a top priority.

As an organization, we accomplished a lot this past year. We closed out our From 12 to 21: Our Way Forward strategic plan; launched our new plan, Plan 20|30: Our Future is Insight; and worked with all five plan boards to develop new service delivery plans. We continued evolving our digital products, services and processes; enhanced our online tools, training and technology; and sought to better understand how we can create an environment that’s inclusive and accessible for all.

This year, we highlight three themes:

·         We kept everyone safe

·         We were well prepared to successfully adapt and deliver our services

·         We planned for the future

BC Pension Corporation is one of the largest pension service providers in Canada and the largest in British Columbia. We provide professional pension administrative services on behalf of BC’s College, Municipal, Public Service, Teachers’ and WorkSafeBC pension plans, working with over 1,000 plan employers and serving more than 639,000 plan members. We ensure members have the right information at the right time so they can make informed decisions about their pension throughout their life.

I am proud of our commitment to excellence and our supportive culture. I encourage you to read our annual report to learn more about our work, our people, and how we continue to provide excellent service to pension trustees, the WorkSafeBC Pension Plan Pension Committee, plan members and employers.

Regards,

Laura Nashman 

Chief Executive Officer                                      

Phone: 778 698-6456                    

Email: laura.nashman@pensionsbc.ca

Assistant: Dorothy Bodnar                                                    

Phone: 778 698-6463

Email: dorothy.bodnar@pensionsbc.ca

BC Pension Corporation

2995 Jutland Road, Victoria, BC V8T 5J9

Visit us online at bcpensioncorp.ca

MPP Annual general meeting

Every year the Municipal Pension Board of Trustees hosts an annual general meeting to report on the health of your pension plan.

2021 annual general meeting

Come to the online AGM to learn important information about your plan.

When: October 14, 2021, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (preview slides start at 9:45 a.m.)

Register for the event using this link: https://mpp.pensionsbc.ca/annual-general-meeting . You will be redirected to create an account to access the event.

Step 1: On the redirected page, the first step is to click Register at the bottom of the login screen.

Step 2: Enter the details required and follow the two-step authentication to complete registration. You will receive a code from CHIME Live to finish the registration process.

Please remember your email and password to join the event.

Note: The registration system is not compatible with Internet Explorer. To get the best experience, please use a different web browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Safari.Register

All MPP members and employers are invited.

The agenda:

• Welcome from the chair
• 2020 financial highlights
• Plan changes update
• Investment update
• What's ahead
• Q&A session

Volunteer Cancer Drivers Society to expand, seeks volunteers

George Garrett helped start the Volunteer Cancer Drivers Society in 2016. He has since retired from the organization. (File photo)

Organization looks to double volunteer base as demand increases

• AARON HINKS
• Aug. 8, 2021 11:11 a.m.
• COMMUNITY

The Volunteer Cancer Drivers Society is looking to double its volunteer base as the organization expands to more cities in the Lower Mainland.

In addition to most municipalities in the region, the society recently added coverage in Burnaby, New Westminster, Chilliwack and Richmond. This fall, they are expected to bring operations to Vancouver.

VCDS president Bob Smith told Peace Arch News that the expansion is due to other similar services in the region being discontinued. In fact, the society first got its start after the Canadian Cancer Society ceased its cancer patient driving program in 2016.

The organization currently has 216 volunteers on its roster. Volunteers pick up cancer patients at their home and bring them to the hospital or clinic for treatment. The volunteers are tasked with waiting for the patient to finish with their treatment and then bring them back home.

“In large part, what happens is many patients will be put on radiation treatment. The radiation treatment might be every day, five days a week. That can run up to five or six weeks depending now what the doctors prescribe, but that’s every day,” Smith told PAN.

RELATED: A brighter financial picture for non-profit Volunteer Cancer Drivers Society

Smith said, typically, the patients are elderly, retired, live alone and are frail. Immediate family might not be available to drive them to appointments, and some don’t have access to a vehicle. Smith noted that taking a round trip taxi ride every day, particularly on a fixed income, is unaffordable to many patients.

“We take away all of that uncertainty. Some of these folks, it isn’t that they’re poverty stricken, it’s that the options for them are inconvenient. We take that away. Some of these folks, even though we don’t ask them to pay anything, many of them will make donations to us. Some of them have been quite generous,” Smith said.

Smith said the organization is looking to recruit 180 to 200 more volunteers. Volunteers will have to provide a driving abstract and criminal record check. The approved volunteers will then be asked to join an orientation where they will learn about the operation and COVID-19 health and safety precautions.

Volunteers are paid 50 cents per kilometre, which is the society’s biggest expense.

“Because everybody uses their own car, we have no employees, we all work out of our home, our overhead is pretty low,” Smith said. “Running about seven per cent. We have to pay for insurance, telephone, printing and so on.”

In July, the organization reached a milestone of drivers clocking more than 2 million kilometres.

Smith, who regularly drives patients, said it’s rewarding work that can result in new friendships and connections.

“It rekindles your faith in others because you’re a volunteer, you’re doing it, and you would hope that others in the community get the same satisfaction.”

To book a ride or learn how to become a volunteer, visit https://volunteercancerdrivers.ca/

https://www.mapleridgenews.com/community/volunteer-cancer-drivers-society-to-expand-seeks-volunteers/

Supporting Members affected by wildfires

Pacific Blue Cross stands with the people of Lytton, BC and British Columbians around the province affected by the spread of wildfires.

The summer wildfires that have spread across British Columbia have been devastating for so many in our province. Our entire Pacific Blue Cross team wishes to extend our heartfelt condolences to the people of Lytton, BC who are mourning the loss of two residents and dealing with the devastating impacts of the fire that began on Wednesday June 30th. No words can appropriately capture how difficult this must be.

Pacific Blue Cross members who have been impacted by the current wildfire crisis across the province can be assured that we stand with them during this difficult time.

• Members and plan sponsors can contact us if they need assistance to replace medical or dental supplies or devices that were lost due to the fires but are over their plan limits.
• Members should contact their pharmacist about refilling medication if they were lost due to the fires.
• Members should contact their dental providers about completing dental services that were interrupted due to the fires and may need to be completed by another dentist. Dentists can contact their association if they are unclear on the procedure for completing services or appliances that were previously started by another dentist for an individual impacted by the fires.

We encourage all Pacific Blue Cross members who have been impacted by the wildfires to visit their Member Profile for more information. Mental health support can always be found on our website.

We would also like to thank our province’s first responders working so hard for all British Columbians day-in and day-out, fighting approximately 200 fires throughout BC, doing all they can to keep us safe as well as those doing animal rescues in the regions.

BIENNIAL CONVENTION

The 2021 Biennial Convention, this year via Zoom, was convened May 12&13. There are many to thank for the success of this event, but none more than the 84 delegates themselves. With most attending at least one group training session, and many requiring one on one instruction from Bob Emery or Lawrence Eddy, delegates arrived practiced in how to utilize their mute/unmute, electronic hand, and chat features on whichever device they were using. Voting with polling procedures, and entering breakout rooms was easily done. Thanks to all for your patience, diligence and participation. Business of the convention was routine in nature with the President's Report, Financial Report, Vice Presidents and Committee Reports being presented and accepted. Twenty-five (25) Special Resolutions and Three (3) Resolutions were presented to the delegates and voted upon, and elections for all executive positions were held.

Special Resolutions of Note:

1. Effective January 1, 2022 annual dues shall be $22.00 per member and $40.00 per couple.
2. New members who receive a MPP Pension will be offered a free membership for the calendar year in which they apply effective May 14. These members must provide their PID number for automatic Dues Deduction in the following year. (this is not retroactive).
3. Quorum for district meetings will now be 8 members or 4% of the district membership, whichever is greater and have member representation in addition to the District Executive.

Two resolutions were adopted 

1.     Resolution #1 – Long Term Care and Assisted Living Homes: standard of care

Therefore, be it resolved that the MPRA campaign the Government of the

Province of British Columbia to enact legislation to ensure that there is an improved level of standard of care within all assisted living homes and long-term care facilities.

Be it further resolved to ensure that this standard of care is consistent throughout all for profit, not for profit, union, non-union, assisted living and long-term care facilities.

2.     Resolution #2 – Long Term Care and Assisted Living Homes – standard of staffing

Therefore, be it resolved that the MPRA campaign the Government of the Province of British Columbia to enact legislation to ensure that single-site staffing continues for evermore in all profit and not for profit, union and non-union long-term care and assisted living facilities within the Province of British Columbia.

Be it further resolved that all employees of long-term care and assisted living facilities earn a livable wage with full benefit packages.

The Board will be voicing your concerns to the Provincial Government, and we encourage districts and individual members to do the same.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIkCmbvAHQQ

Letter from the Municipal Pension Plan Board of Trustees and plan partners: March 29, 2021

The plan partners have reached agreement on plan design, and the board has received the agreement and adopted new rules that will take effect January 1, 2022.

To: Municipal Pension Plan appointing authorities, unions, associations, employers and members

Re: Municipal Pension Plan redesign

As previously announced, the plan partners reached an agreement on plan design. The board received the formal agreement at the March board meeting and adopted new rules that will take effect January 1, 2022. In our joint oversight of the Municipal Pension Plan, all parties support the redesign of the plan.

These decisions followed a comprehensive review of the plan and how members use it today and a comprehensive engagement with members, employers and key stakeholders. In our review, we were guided by the following principles:

• Improving equity for members
• Aligning benefits with how the majority of members use them
• Setting a strong foundation for the long-term sustainability of the plan
• Staying within the current costs of the plan

With the rule changes, most members will receive an improved lifetime pension. This is the amount members receive throughout retirement, excluding the bridge benefit. To make this enhancement possible, there will be changes to the bridge benefit and early-retirement subsidies on future service for most members.

We determined that a flat group contribution rate on all salary is a more equitable way to manage contributions for future service. Contribution rates are also better aligned between members and employers, as contemplated by the original joint trust agreement.

The plan redesign also helps stabilize contribution rates and strengthen inflation protection to support cost-of-living adjustments over the long term. We also are introducing a new health benefit trust to further support retiree benefits.

We are grateful for the work and persistence of many to help us reach this decision. The changes will greatly improve equity in the plan, provide benefit improvements for most plan members and protect the plan’s sustainability.

A full explanation of the changes is on the plan website. Member and employer online courses and webinars have been updated with information about the changes. Members in group 1 can also use the personalized pension estimator to see how the changes will affect retirement after January 1, 2022. Members in groups 2 and 5 will see the changes for post-January 1, 2022 retirement in the personalized pension estimator in July 2021. Information for employers, including contribution rates, is on the employer website.

Sincerely,

Union of BC Municipalities and BC Provincial Government (employer partner)
Municipal Employees’ Pension Committee (member partner)
Health Employers Association of BC (trust signatory)
Municipal Pension Board of Trustees