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October 2020 Roundup - Read the Employer News

News & Events

Portal update - coming soon

In early 2021, the CAAT Plan will introduce a new way for members and employers to easily access their pension information online.

The early phases of the pension portal will offer administration benefits to:

  • Streamline interactions between employers, members and CAAT Pension Plan
  • Reduce administration effort through self-service features

The portal will allow employers to initiate processes electronically, rather than using paper, such as:

  • Enrolment
  • Change of Employment
  • Termination
  • Retirement
  • Pension Estimate

Stay tuned for more information on the training session we will be holding towards the end of the year to show employers how to use the new employer portal

Member communication plan

Over the next few months, we will update our members about the new portal through the following communications:

  • The fall member newsletter that will be released next week
  • Updates on our website
  • An email from employers to their staff that are Plan members (sample emails will be provided)
  • A registration letter for members that will be eligible to use the portal when their account is created. The letter will include instructions for creating a password to access their account, and how to log into the portal.

Ontario legislation: Layoffs and reduced work for non-union members on infectious disease emergency leave

Ontario has recently amended its Employment Standards Act (ESA) retroactively in order to provide a new category of infectious disease emergency leave (IDEL).

This new deemed IDEL category impacts non-union employees in Ontario that, as a result of COVID-19, have been:

  • laid-off
  • working reduced hours
  • on reduced wages

Periods of IDEL that can be purchased with employer-required contributions are based on when the layoff or reduced wages/hours began.

If you have members that fall under the Ontario deemed IDEL leaves, please contact your Employer PA to discuss how to report these members to the Plan.

Pension Applications required for members turning age 71

Be sure to send pension applications for any members that are turning 71 in 2020, so that their pensions can start on December 1.

By law, if a member is still working, they must stop contributing to their pension plan and begin receiving a pension by the end of the year they reach age 71. The deadline to start their pension is December 1.

Even if a member’s contributions to the CAAT Pension Plan must stop as of November 30, 2019, their employment is not impacted, and they may continue to work.

In-year reporting deadline - forms due December 1

The deadline to provide in-year reporting changes is December 1. All information received by this date will be loaded into the Data Collection Tool, for the annual data update process.

2019 DCT contribution reconciliations – reports to be sent in October

Our Finance team will be sending all remaining 2019 DCT reports in October.

After you have reviewed your report, if there is an outstanding balance, please speak to the CAAT Finance team to arrange payment. If there is an overpayment, please take a credit on your next remittance.

Employer Quarterly Reports – coming by October 16

The Q3 employer quarterly reports for 2020 will be sent to employers by October 16.

These reports are for your reference and provide you with a list of members who:

  • Are on an extension of membership (EOM)
  • Have a deferred pension in the plan or
  • Are working part-time

Please refer to this list to confirm if an employee is still on EOM or if they have deferred pension with the Plan.

Member Annual Statements – mailing complete

All member annual statements have been processed and mailed. Employers will receive their copies of statements and statement data, including HAPE information, by the end of October.

Ontario College sector employers: Annual Termination Project – 25% complete

The Plan is currently preparing EOM letters and option packages for members who did not contribute to the Plan in 2019, and therefore were reported as non-contributory (NC) in the DCT.

To date we have sent 160 packages and the project is 25% complete. The NC project will be completed in November.

99% of pension payment confirmations received

As of October 9, we have received 99% of all pension payment confirmations.

In response to COVID-19 and the challenges that many Canadians are facing, CAAT has made the decision not to suspend pensions for those who have not yet responded, as our retirees might be impacted by the current environment.

Please direct any retired members or surviving spouses who have questions about their letter to our member services hotline, toll-free at 1.866.350.2228, or in Toronto at 416.673.9000.

Members benefit from knowing more about their pension

We are now booking member webinars for the fall!

To arrange a webinar for your employees, contact Stephanie at presentations@caatpension.on.ca with your preferred date so we can secure it for you.

Upcoming Events

Be sure to take note of the following dates, and register for and attend upcoming sessions:

Coming next week – Watch for the fall member newsletter

  • November 5—Employer education session—Pensionable earnings, contributions and pension adjustments
  • November 24—Employer update
  • Coming in November/December —Portal training
  • Invitations for the webinars will be sent out approximately two weeks in advance.