October 2025 Roundup - Read the Employer News

In this edition

One year of GROWTHplus

October 1, 2025 marked the first year of GROWTHplus! We are delighted to share that CAAT was named an Excellence and Innovation Awards finalist by the Pension & Investments WorldPensionSummit, in recognition of this new offering. As we celebrate this milestone, it reinforces our commitment to innovating and enhancing the Plan for employers and members.

GROWTHplus is an optional savings account where members can grow their tax-sheltered savings and benefit from CAAT’s investment returns, complementing their secure lifetime pension. Members who invest with GROWTHplus have access to CAAT’s asset mix, including assets not typically available to individual investors. 

Read through our Quick Guide to GROWTHplus Investment Account to learn more. The GROWTHplus webpage for employers features resources for both employers and members, including 10 of our most frequently asked employer questions.

Questions?

Please send us an email at employer@caatpension.ca and a member of our team will connect with you. 

Updates and reminders

Tips for year-end data management

Read this if: you are an employer working directly with CAAT

The 2024 annual statement season may have just ended, but we’re already looking forward to next year! As year-end approaches, here are a few steps you can take to help us streamline data processing:

  • Check for any missed enrolments. Employers who use PAL can download a report (Employer reports) of all enrolled employees in CAAT’s database and identify any missed enrolments. 

  • Submit any forms required for leaves of absence with end dates in 2025. Accurate and up-to-date data on leaves of absence provides members with all possible opportunities to purchase eligible leave periods.

  • Inform CAAT of all terminations and retirements as soon as possible. Submit all retirement requests at least three months before the member would like their pension payments to start.

Your Pension Analyst is available to answer any questions you may have during this process.

Annual contribution reconciliations

Annual contribution reconciliation reports have been distributed to most employers as of September 30, 2025. These reports detail employer contributions that CAAT receives and subsequent credits to members’ accounts, identifying any variances between the amounts. 

If a refund is due from CAAT, employers can take it as a credit against their next monthly contribution remittance. For amounts due to CAAT, please submit your payment with your monthly remittance as soon as possible after receiving the report.

If you have any questions, please contact your employer Pension Analyst. 

Non-contributing members reports due October 31

Ontario College employers are reminded to report employees who are not regular full-time (OTRFT) members and have not contributed to the Plan in the last 12 months. For example, an employee’s contract may have ended, but a termination of employment hasn’t been reported due to a possible renewal. 

After processing all reports, CAAT will follow up with  employers and issue EOM letters to members and/or option packages, as applicable.

If you have up to 25 members to report, please send the data through PAL. If you have more than 25 members to report, please submit a spreadsheet.

Thank you to all employers who have already submitted their data. The next deadline in the cycle is May 31, 2026. 

Upcoming events

November 4: Employer Update, 1:00 p.m. EST

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

Register

Employer Education Sessions

(for employers working directly with CAAT)

November 6: Pensionable Earnings, service, contributions and pension adjustments

  • Pensionable earnings, service, contributions and pension adjustments (Employers with both DBprime and DBplus plan designs) —10 a.m. EST

  • Pensionable earnings, contributions and pension adjustments (Employers that offer DBplus only) —1 p.m. EST

These training sessions are recommended for staff who administer payroll, leaves, terminations, retirements and/or deaths. Each webinar will also review the monthly remittance process. The DBplus-only session is for employers using payroll-based reporting (PBR), but will not be suitable for employers using automated data exchange.

Register (10 a.m. EST)
Register (1 p.m. EST)

Portal corner

Planned outages

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

  • December 3

  • December 31

Your Q&A Corner

Q: When an employee has the option to enrol in the Plan, how should we determine their enrolment date if they don’t choose to enrol during the first available pay period?

Following a new hire, there is a 31-day grace period for enrolment. If the new hire returns their enrolment application within 31 days following being hired, their start date is the date of hire.

READ MORE

Q: If we are hiring someone who is already receiving a CAAT pension, what should we tell them about their pension plan eligibility?

There are a few rules in tax legislation that impact CAAT Pension Plan eligibility for rehired retired members. 

READ MORE

The Power of Your Pension webinar: November sessions

Looking for new ways to communicate the value of your workplace DB pension? The Power of Your Pension webinar returns this fall, with sessions in English and French.

Session dates:

  • November 19, 1:00-2:00 p.m. EST (English)

  • November 26, 11:00-12:00 p.m. EST (French)

You’ll learn about how the CAAT Plan provides competitive advantages, helping attract top talent and boosting retention. We’ll also highlight how CAAT supports your business goals and resources we’ve created to help position your organization as an employer of choice. 

If you know of a hiring manager or other co-worker who could benefit from these sessions, please share the registration link with them. 

Register
Register (French)

Share our customized member learning sessions

For members, building confidence in retirement starts with understanding and trusting their defined benefit pension plan. We provide customized learning sessions to connect directly with members, providing a welcoming space for any questions they might have about their CAAT pension. 

Our pension experts deliver engaging and informative presentations on the following topics and more:

  • Features of the CAAT plan

  • Pension fundamentals

  • Retirement planning

Through these sessions, members will hear all about the benefits of their CAAT pension and how we’re working to provide secure retirement income for Canadians.

Encourage members to register by including a link to our Presentations page in your employee communications.

Register Now

Industry outlook

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