PENSION AND  RETIREMENT CONCERNS

 Shelagh Derbyshire & Cora Hallett

We attended the PRC Workshop in Toronto in September 2009 on behalf of  District 42. All 47 RTO Districts had representatives present. The focus of the workshop was to familiarize the District Representatives with resources that can be accessed by them and shared with the membership in their District.

The topic of re-employment after retirement was thoroughly discussed as many RTO members have a desire or need to return to teaching following their initial retirement. Those of us who have retired to B.C. are  able to return to teaching here in B.C. without affecting their OTP since we would not be contributing to the OTTP. However, anyone planning to teach in B.C. would be wise to contact Member Services to verify their status prior to taking a position with any school board.

A session dealing with Care Giving Services provided an overview of the programs available and how to access the information. Planning should include: Maintaining Independence; Health issues; and Financial Consideration.

Power of Attorney should cover health issues as well as financial issues. In B.C. the “Representative Agreement Act”  (Pof A) came into effect on February 28, 2000. Information may be obtained from the Office of the Public Guardian & Trustee by telephone at (604) 660-4444.

Fact Sheets are available through the RTO/ERO Member’s Only portion of the RTO-ERO web site: www.rto-ero.org . If a computer is not available, hard copies can be ordered. Contact one of your representatives if you wish an  application which lists all the issues covered.

An interesting note is that RTO/ERO was involved in the implementation of the Tax Free Interest Savings Account.

B.C., along with most other provinces is in the process of setting up a 211 Service  which will provide a reliable source of information to relieve 911 to handle more critical calls. In Ontario the service provided aid during the SARS crisis in 2003 and also during the Southern Ontario Blackout the same year.  The B.C. Government has placed funds in their budget to implement a province wide 211 Service, so watch for announcements about when it will become operative.

Please do not hesitate to contact one of your District 42 Representatives  if you have any concerns or questions.

S. Derbyshire:  shelaghderbyshire@shaw.ca

C. Hallett: coraah@telus.net

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