ATA Pension Plan News

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Dear Fellow ATA Member,

 

You may have heard the recent news that AIMCo has lost $4 BILION to bad investments.  Premier Kenney tried to reassure teachers that going with AIMCo will save us $20 million a year in the cost of running our retirement plan.  The $4 Billion is IN ADDITION TO the losses that have occurred in the market.  All Albertans should be concerned about this, as the Alberta Heritage Trust Fund has taken the biggest hit for the losses.

 

Rest assured, the transfer of funds to AIMCo from ATRF has not yet occurred, and your pension is safe.

 

However, we need to let the government know that we are against AIMCo taking over our ATRF pension plan by:

1. Attending your local’s council meetings, especially the upcoming AGM, and talk to/ask questions to your school’s Teacher Welfare Committee and School Representatives. 

2. Using the hashtags #handsoffmypension and #repealbill22 in your social media (please follow me on Twitter - @dr_mo4)

3. Visiting www.handsoffmypension.ca  to send a letter to your MLA, the Minister of Education, the Premier, and the Minister of Finance (who is also the President of the Treasury Board).  There is a form letter available on this site, but we know that they take it more seriously when you edit the letter to personalize it.

4. Visiting https://www.ibelieveinpubliced.ca/call_your_mla  to get help with contacting your MLA.  This also includes some talking points to help you out when you also want to discuss publicly funded education.

5. Visit the Talking Points section of the ATA website:  https://www.teachers.ab.ca/membersonly/Talking-Points/Pages/index.aspx 

6. Follow Greg Meeker on Twitter (@yomeeks).  He has a “Daily Pension Announcement” thread going, and being a former ATRF Board Member/Chair, he knows what he’s talking about.

 

I realize that I made an error in my last DR Report.  When I tried to follow the link given on page 4 for calling my MLA, I gave the wrong address (too many letters).  Here is the correct address:  https://www.ibelieveinpubliced.ca/call_your_mla

 

Please forward this to your fellow ATA members and ask that they email me (murray.lalonde@ata.ab.ca) to be included in this mailing list.  You can always receive a warm greeting from me by phoning or texting my cell (780) 656-5952.

 

I wish you all the best of health and happiness.

 

Sincerely,

 

Murray Lalonde

District Representative, Central East

Alberta Teachers’ Association