February 2026 Roundup - Read the Employer News

In this edition

CAAT Governance and Leadership Changes

We wanted to update you on recent decisions related to CAAT governance matters that were raised in media coverage and shared in recent communications with you.

As previously communicated, Derek Dobson, former Chief Executive Officer and Plan Manager, has been placed on administrative leave. The Board of Trustees also initiated an independent governance review after becoming aware of concerns related to a vacation payment to the CEO. The review, led by an external expert, is examining CAAT’s governance policies, procedures and practices. The Board will carefully consider any recommendations to ensure alignment with best practices, and the outcomes of the review will be shared in a separate communication.

In the interim, Kevin Fahey has been appointed Acting Chief Executive Officer and Plan Manager, and Audrey Wubbenhorst and Janet Greenwood have been appointed Chair and Vice-Chair of the Board, respectively, to support stability and restore stakeholder confidence.

Importantly, these governance matters do not affect the Plan’s financial strength or its ability to deliver secure, predictable pensions. CAAT remains 124% funded, with over $23 billion in assets and more than $6 billion in reserves, positioning the Plan to remain resilient over the long term.

We remain committed to transparency and to keeping employers apprised of developments.

Pension Awareness Day

Did you know February 19 was Pension Awareness Day? This year’s theme was “Discover the value of a workplace pension.” The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA) chose this theme to encourage Canadians to learn more about their workplace pension and build retirement planning into their financial future year-round. It’s a great opportunity to invite your employees to learn more about their pension.

As a CAAT employer, you play a key role in helping members understand the Plan’s benefits and how it contributes to secure, sustainable retirement income for the future. Here are three ways you can support members of any age in engaging with their pension:

  • Visit the Employer Resources webpage: Find fact sheets for new members (“Your First Year of CAAT Membership”) as well as one-pagers on Plan enhancements and changes.
  • Share our member learning sessions: CAAT provides free monthly sessions on a range of topics including retirement planning and Plan benefits. Members can register by visiting the Member Presentations page.
  • Link to CAAT’s Planner blog: Check out a variety of articles on pensions, retirement, and financial planning, and share the link with your members.

We’re happy to support pension awareness all year long, and we look forward to connecting with members at any step of their retirement journey. Email employer@caatpension.ca or contact your Pension Analyst to share ways we can help you support your employees’ pension literacy.

Updates and reminders

Reminder: 2026 rates and parameters

Key rates and parameters for 2026 are available to reference on our Rates at a glance webpage. These rates impact 2026 calculations and will help you update your payroll systems as needed.

Contact your Pension Analyst for any questions.

Annual data collection and statement timeline

Read this if: you are an employer that submits 2025 data using the DCT

The Data Collection Tool (DCT) for 2025 data was released on January 9, 2026. CAAT requests all employers using the DCT to correct any errors, review all warnings, and send their final DCT data to CAAT by March 6, 2026. Thank you to the employers who have already provided their data. 

Please ensure that member data is correct and complete, including pension adjustment reporting. This ensures that annual pension statements are sent to members by the June 30 legislative deadline. If you encounter any unresolved errors while confirming 2025 data, please reach out to your Pension Analyst for assistance.

2026 remittance deadlines

The Employer Manual includes a table of contribution remittance deadlines, including all Canadian statutory holidays. Remittances are due on or before the 30th day after the end of the month that the contributions apply to. This deadline is the same for all payroll schedules: weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly. Remittances received after the deadline are subject to a late payment charge.

Upcoming deadlines

  • January 2026: March 2, 2026
  • February 2026: March 30, 2026
  • March 2026: April 30, 2026
  • April 2026: May 29, 2026
  • May 2026: June 30, 2026
  • June 2026: July 30, 2026

In addition to remitting funds, employers should use the employer portal to create a contribution remittance summary (this does not apply to employers who receive automated invoices). CAAT uses this summary to ensure contributions received are applied to members’ pension records correctly and promptly.

Employer Manual table of remittance deadlines

Pension adjustments for LTD members

Read this if: you are an employer with DBprime members who received long-term disability (LTD) benefits in 2025

CAAT processes pension adjustments for members on LTD leave and will mail T4A forms for these members by February 28, 2026. If your members on LTD leave have questions or have not received their T4A, please direct them to the Members Services Team at 1-866-350-2228.

Update on 2025 OPSEU strike purchases

Read this if: you are an Ontario college employer

Thank you to all employers for providing strike data. Information packages for purchases  have been processed and were sent to members in January and early February. Members registered with My Pension will receive their package via the portal and members who are not registered will receive their package by mail. Members who have not received a package can contact CAAT directly for assistance.

Our Member Care Centre is always available to respond to questions related to the strike and its impact on retirements, terminations and purchases.

If members have initiated a strike purchase through My Pension, employers can ignore the requests in PAL – these requests will be processed by CAAT.

Upcoming events

Employer Education Sessions (for employers working directly with CAAT)

March 11: Annual Statement Overview

  • Employers with both DBprime and DBplus plan designs — 10 a.m. EDT
  • Employers with DBplus only — 1 p.m. EDT

This session is a walk-through of the annual pension statement for active members. It will be useful for human resources staff, so they can understand what information is provided to members.

Register (10 a.m. EDT)

Register (1 p.m. EDT)

March 26: Employer Update

This webinar will update you about plan news, upcoming events, reminders and more.

Register (1 p.m. EDT)

Portal corner

Reminder: Tracking retirements

(for employers working directly with CAAT)

Did you know you can track the progress of retirements in the Employer Portal (PAL) when members use Retire Online in My Pension? 

Retire Online makes the retirement process easier by allowing members to elect and manage their retirement options and related documents online. It also makes the process more transparent for employers. Here’s how it works:

  • The member notifies their manager/HR department of their intent to retire, based on their workplace policies.
  • You submit the member’s pension application to CAAT through PAL. (For employers using payroll-based reporting, submit the RET status and date using PBR.)
  • While a pension application is in progress, both you and the member can track and receive status updates in the member and employer portals.

To check the status of a pension application, log into PAL and search for the member. You’ll see a tracker on the member’s information page that shows the retirement steps from start to finish. Green checkmarks will indicate progress.

If you have any members retiring soon, please encourage them to activate their My Pension accounts as soon as possible.

Planned outages

PAL will be unavailable for maintenance from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. EDT on the following days:

  • March 11
  • April 8
  • May 6

Member learning sessions

CAAT is ready to support you and your members through a new slate of free member learning sessions in 2026. These sessions are delivered by CAAT’s pension experts and will cover a range of topics, including:

  • Value and benefits of a CAAT pension
  • Resources for retirement planning
  • Enhancements we’re making to better serve members, including the 2025 Plan Improvements

Registration links for upcoming sessions can be found on the Member Presentations page:

  • March 11 and 13, 2026: A future you can count on: Your CAAT Pension (EN/FR)
  • April 8, 2026: Retirement planning (EN)

We encourage you to share the Member Presentations page with your members today and learn more about boosting employee engagement by downloading our fact sheet on remote learning. Email employer@caatpension.ca or contact your Pension Analyst to let us know how we can help you support employee awareness initiatives.

Member Presentations

Industry outlook

Take a closer look at the latest trends, research and insights across the industry. Share with your employees and network!