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Pension Law, subject of NUPGE’s fourth Pension Basics Webinar on May 20

The fourth in a series of five NUPGE Pension Basics webinars will explore the legal and regulatory framework governing pension plans in Canada.


Ottawa (16 May 2016) — The 360,000-member National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) will deliver its fourth in a series of five one-hour Pension Basics webinars this Friday, May 20, 2016.


Learn more about the laws surrounding pensions in NUPGE's next webinar


The webinar, entitled Pension Law, will explore the legal and regulatory framework governing pension plans in Canada. The webinar will introduce participants to pension benefits and tax laws that shape pension plans in Canada and will describe the role of the trustee as a fiduciary, as well as outline the relationship between the union, the plan and trustees.


Some of the topics to be covered in the webinar are: federal and provincial pension laws, how Canada’s Income Tax Act impacts on pension plans, what is a fiduciary and what are fiduciary duties, what is the legal role of trustees and what is the relationship between the union (whether a sponsor or not), trustees and the pension plan?


Hear from the experts


The webinar will be moderated by Dennis Blatchford, the pensions and benefits advocate with Health Sciences Association of British Columbia (HSABC /NUPGE). The two presenters for the webinar will be


  • Murray Gold, Managing Partner, Koskie Minsky LLP
  • James Harnum, Associate, Koskie Minsky LLP

Both Gold and Harnum are well-respected legal counsel within the labour movement, having for many years advised unions, employees, retirees, and trustee boards of multi-employer, private and public sector plans on the full range of pension and benefit matters. Gold was recently appointed as a member of the initial Board of Directors for the Ontario Retirement Pension Plan (ORPP) Administration Corporation.


Free registration!


The time of the webinar will depend on which time zone a participant lives in. To find the time of the webinar in your province, click here


The series of Pension Basics webinars is designed for new or potential component pension trustees, members of component pension committees, as well as NUPGE activists and staff who have an interest, but not a strong background, in pensions.  The webinars have been developed in cooperation with Shareholder Association for Research and Education (SHARE), a union-friendly advocacy organization specializing in Canadian pensions and responsible investment.  


NUPGE members who have an interest in pensions are encouraged to participate in the webinars. Participants will need to register for each webinar in advance so they receive the proper notifications. Registration must be done online.


NUPGE members who participate in all webinars and complete a self-assessment will receive a certificate of completion.


Watch previous webinars on NUPGE's YouTube channel


The topics of the first three webinars were:


  • Overview of Canada’s retirement system
  • Plan funding and the role of the actuary
  • Pension investment

All three of these webinars have been posted on NUPGE’s YouTube channel


The topic of the last webinar in the series is "Capital stewardship."  It will take place Friday, June 10, 2016


For more details on each of the webinars and how to register, click here.


More information:


NUPGE Pension Basics Webinar Series


NUPGE


The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 360,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE