Executive Councillor Report: Pensions and Seniors Health
Convention 2024 featured a report from BCNU Interim Executive Councillor for Pensions and Seniors Health Meghan Friesen. During her presentation, Friesen updated delegates about the Municipal and Public Service pension plans, shared information on pension member education opportunities and spoke about the current work of the union’s Seniors Strategy Committee.
According to Friesen, the Municipal Pension and Public Service pension plans are in a healthy place, with net assets growing for each. She also noted the Municipal Pension Plan’s latest 3.8 percent cost-of-living adjustment that helps retired members deal with inflation.
Friesen talked about the positive impact of the union’s pension workshops and said members who’ve attended have called them valuable and informative. Between 2023 and 2024, the number of members participating in the workshops increased by 24 percent for in-person workshops and nine percent for online workshops.
She encouraged all members to sign up for a pension workshop.
“I am dedicated to empowering all of our members and helping them navigate their pensions,” said Friesen.
Friesen then shared the priorities of the Seniors Strategy Committee and said its primary focus is staffing issues in long-term care as the seniors’ population continues to grow. She noted that the implementation of minimum nurse-to-patient ratios in this sector is also important to the committee.
Friesen finished with an update on the Nurses’ Bargaining Association Retiree Benefit Program (RBP), reporting that the RBP committee is preparing for LPN enrolment into the program and that it’s working to ensure the program funding is structured to benefit all its members.