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WELCOME!
Ottawa Chapter
Spring AGM Meeting
May 26, 2010
May 26, 2010 2
AGM Agenda
9:30 a.m. Meeting call to order & review of agenda 9:35 Pension update10:05 Ottawa Chapter update10:30 ~ Break ~11:00 BPG Board of Directors slate for 2010-201111:15 Election of Ottawa Chapter Chair11:30 Treasurer’s update, approval of Auditor for 2010 &
Auditor’s report Note: due to the confidentiality of the financial information, these slides have been excluded from this web version.
11:50 Approval of changes to BPG by-laws12:00 p.m. New business; Question & answer session12:30 Adjournment
Bell Pensioners' GroupMay 2010
President's Report
Presented by Bob Farmer
May 26, 2010 4
Agenda
A big “Thank you” to Raymond Bertrand
Pension Status Pension Reform
Developments Advocacy
A few other comments
May 26, 2010 5
2009 Pension Plan Status
2008: $1.8B Deficit 2009: Assets up
+15% market return Contributions by Bell for 2009
Current service costs: $165M Deficit amortization: $251M Voluntary (to deficit): $500M
2009: Liabilities up Greater clarity after June 30
May 26, 2010 6
Pension Reform
BPG Objective: Reduce Pensioners' Risk Biggest Risk:
Plan has deficit, AND Plan is being wound-up
We call this risk “Plan Failure” There is no sign that Bell's plan faces failure
but we don't assume that it cannot happen
May 26, 2010 7
Pension Reform: Getting the Rules Right
Legislation and Regulations to Keep healthy plans healthy Bring unhealthy plans back to health Improve pensioners' position should a plan fail
The first two are key, so the third will stay an academic concern for BPG members
May 26, 2010 8
Pension Reform: Advocacy
Recommendations (with rationale) given to: Bureaucracy
Finance Canada Pension Regulators on plan governance
Political Minister of Finance Minister's lead MP on Pension issues Minister's political adviser on pension issues Standing Committee on Finance Liberal Finance Critic Consultation on Retirement Income System Link with Canadian Federation of Pensioners communications
May 26, 2010 9
Pension Reform: Where We Are
Keep healthy plans healthy Very positive legislative developments
Voluntary plan termination only if plan is fully funded (within five years)
Contribution holiday only if 5% plan surplus Annual plan valuation and funding reset
To include all plan provisions Enhanced disclosure requirements Potential maximum surplus increased to 25% from 10% Deviations from standard funding rules can be adopted
by sponsor only with agreement from its pensioners
May 26, 2010 10
Pension Reform: Where We Are
Bring Unhealthy plans back to health Disappointing developments Probably an overreaction to economic downturn Increased risk to pensioners
Focus of current advocacy activities Time-line: near term
May 26, 2010 11
Plan Deficits Persist Longer
Deficit Elimination
0.0
20.0
40.0
60.0
80.0
100.0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Year
% o
f D
efi
cit
Re
ma
inin
g
Current
Proposed
May 26, 2010 12
Pension Reform: When Plans Fail
Options presented Don't wind up plan Better pensioner access to bankrupt's assets
A few mildly positive signs of political traction, but this is a longer term struggle
May 26, 2010 13
A Few Other Comments
BPG a professional organization www.bellpensionersgroup.ca
Very informative > 1 million hits in last year Over 10,000 unique visitors Improvements?
Chapter outreach exemplary
Ottawa Chapter Update
Presented by Marc Davidson
Ottawa Chapter Chair
May 26, 2010 15
Ottawa Chapter Update
Membership growth Electronic payment of annual membership dues Membership renewal process Meetings outside of Ottawa Succession planning
May 26, 2010 16
Our # 1 Priority: Grow Membership
Grow membership is one of BPG’s strategic priorities
We’ve done the following to grow our membership Meetings outside of Ottawa (Kingston, Sudbury,
Pembroke) 4 newsletters per year filled with relevant content Email “blasts” to our members who have email Introduced the PayPalTM trial to facilitate electronic
payment of membership dues Recently launched the “Circle of Friends” campaign
16
May 26, 2010 17May 26, 2010 17
Our strength in numbers
The following summarizes the BPG Membership Count:
Dec 2008 Dec 2009
Ottawa 1,206 1,332
BPG Total 9,944 10,213
The Ottawa Chapter achieved a 10.4% year over year increase during 2009
We are committed to a minimum of 5% yr/yr growth
17
May 26, 2010 18
Electronic Payment via PayPalTM
Objectives: Faster and easier for our members
Another option for our members versus payment by mail or at the AGM meetings
Lower cost, i.e., no envelope, no stamps, no chequing costs Can pay membership dues at any time, 24/7
Faster and easier for our Treasurer More timely payment of membership dues Improve collection of annual membership dues Improve efficiency: less paper administration & less trips to
the bank
18
May 26, 2010 19
Costs
To our Member: BPG member does not need to have a PayPal account
to make a payment via PayPal Cost to the member is a $1.00 transaction fee
To BPG: $1.00 transaction fee paid by member offsets BPG costs We are charged $0.91 per transaction The remaining $0.09 is retained to cover any fees
charged by PayPal when transferring money from the PayPal account to our bank account
19
May 26, 2010 20
How does it work?
1. Go to our website http://www.bellpensionersgroup.ca
2. Highlight “Become a Member” on the banner at the top and select “Application Form” on the pull-down menu
3. On the opened page, click on “Ottawa” and the membership application form will appear
4. Complete the application form and follow the instructions to complete the transaction
20
May 26, 2010 21
How does it work? (cont’d)
Once the transaction is completed, the member receives an email from PayPal, specifying: the amount, notation on credit card statement, merchant info and receipt number
PayPal confirmation is also sent to our Treasurer by email when a transaction occurs
Email contains payment amount, payee name, address, telephone number, and email address
Transfers of funds from the PayPal account to our BPG bank account can only be initiated by the Treasurer
21
May 26, 2010 22
Preliminary Results
As of April 1st, 58 members have used PayPal 54 Renewing members 4 New members
Sample Feedback from members: “Love this on-line method of paying; simple and easy-
thank you.” “Hi Marc and Terry - thanks for the new Paypal
Membership renewal…I completed the transaction online and it worked great.”
22
May 26, 2010 23
Next steps
All other BPG chapters will adopt the electronic payment method
It was decided that a Corporate application be developed by a web developer to ensure:
consistency in approach consistency in member experience ease of implementation for other Chapters sharing of information and computer/web skills
This couldn’t have happened without the great work & leadership of our Ottawa webmaster, Terry Acker and our Treasurer, Don Dutton
23
May 26, 2010 24
Membership Renewal Process
One of the issues that we have struggled with in the past are: how to consistently acknowledge receipt of membership renewal payments, and how to manage the issuance of membership cards
At its April 2010 meeting, the Chapter Executive adopted a new process for membership renewal and membership cards
24
May 26, 2010 25
Permanent Membership Cards
Starting with the October 28, 2010 Ottawa General Meeting, we will be issuing permanent membership cards
Those who do not attend the October 28 meeting will receive their cards, via mail, during the month of November 2010
April 26, 2010 25
May 26, 2010 26
Membership Renewals
Payment made at AGM: information sheet (indicating confirmation of payment) will be provided upon receipt of payment. Membership list will be updated by Chapter Executive upon receipt of payment
Payment made by mail or PayPal from member with valid email address: Information sheet indicating confirmation of payment will be sent via email
Payment made by mail from member without a valid email address: Due to the costs and effort involved, we will not send a confirmation of payment; the cancelled cheque will serve as confirmation
26
May 26, 2010 27
BPG General Meetings Outside of Ottawa
Kingston: May 27, 2010
Sudbury: Fall 2010 (date TBD)
Pembroke: Fall 2010 (date TBD)
27
May 26, 2010 28
Succession Planning
I will be leaving as Chair of the Ottawa Chapter at the end of my two-year term, but will remain on the Chapter Executive Committee as Past Chair
There will be an election today to elect my replacement To date, Marlyn Easterbrook, who has served as
Vice-Chair for the past year has submitted her nomination
Others are welcome to submit their nomination
28
May 26, 2010 29
Succession Planning
Lancy Hum has filled a key role as Chapter Secretary replacing Francis Christensen
Terry Acker has taken over as the Webmaster replacing John Wright
Both Lancy and Terry have made significant contributions in their first year of service
On behalf of the executive committee, I wish to thank Francis and John for their dedication and outstanding contribution to BPG
29
May 26, 2010 30
Succession Planning:Membership Coordinator Role
We have another key role to fill: membership coordinator
Current incumbent, John Campbell has been doing this role for the last five years on top of being heavily involved in other work commitments
On behalf of all of us, I wish to thank John for his great work
30
May 26, 2010 31
Membership Coordinator Role
This role has 2 dimensions1. Contact point for members and prospective members:
Provide a phone number and email address for members to contact the chapter
Provide prospective members with assistance in becoming members, answering generic questions about the association
Take questions or concerns from the members (between meetings) and pass the message to the appropriate Chapter member
2. Perform mailings by email and prepare for mailing by Canada Post:
This role requires computer skills (e.g., MS Excel) and the ability to send out large volume of emails
31
May 26, 2010 32
Membership Coordinator (cont’d)
John Campbell is available to provide the necessary training to ensure a smooth transition
Please see me at the break or after the meeting if you’re interested in helping us out
We really need your help!
BREAK
Ottawa Chapter Meeting
May 26, 2010
Bell Pensioners’ Group 2010 Election of Directors
Presented by Marc Davidson
Ottawa Chapter Chair
May 26, 2010 35
Bell Pensioners’ Group 2010 Election of Directors
The current Board of Directors approves and recommends the following Directors for the 2010/2011 Board:
Ontario: Bob Bartlett, Robert Farmer, Linda Gervais, Gwen Guillet, Ron Hunt, Pam Went
Quebec: Andre Bergeron, Michele Boyer, Jean-Luc Geha, Robert Guay
5 Chapter Chairs (Ottawa: TBD)
May 26, 2010 36
Bell Pensioners’ Group 2010 Election of Directors
Motion:“That the membership of BPG elect the slate
of Directors for the 2010/2011 BPG Board as approved and recommended by the
current Board of Directors.”
Election of New Ottawa Chapter Chair
May 26, 2010 38
Call for Nominations
Marlyn Easterbrook Others?
May 26, 2010 39
Election of Ottawa Chapter Chair
Motion:“That the election of ..................
as Ottawa Chapter Chair
be accepted and approved.”
Ottawa Chapter- Financial ReportMay 26, 2010
Don Dutton
Ottawa Chapter Treasurer
May 26, 2010 41
BPG Auditor Appointment for 2010
Motion:“That the firm Collins Barrow be appointed
as the auditors for BPG until the close of
the next annual meeting at a remuneration
to be fixed by the Board of Directors.”
Revised BPG By-LawsMay 2010
Presented by Marc Davidson
Ottawa Chapter Chair
May 26, 2010 43
Revised BPG By-LawsMay 2010
Why change? Since the last update (2006):
London Chapter became SWO The BPG Vision was created The Chapter Handbook was created Practices and policies were documented, e.g.,
counting the membership
May 26, 2010 44
Revised BPG By-LawsMay 2010
Article I “Overview” London is now SWO The BPG Objective is the same as in the BPG Vision
Article II “The Rights and Responsibilities of Members” Definition of Member updated Membership Count methodology agrees with current process
Article III “Organization” Updated to agree with Chapter Handbook & current processes Election of Officers clarified
May 26, 2010 45
Revised BPG By-LawsMay 2010
Article V “Financial and Banking Practices” Updated to reflect current financial practices and processes
Article VI “Dissolution of Group” Updated to reflect common Board practice and language
Article VII “Amendment of By-Laws” Updated to reflect common Board practice and language
May 26, 2010 46
Revised BPG By-LawsMay 2010
Motion:“That the revised By-Laws dated May 2010
be accepted and approved.”
NEW BUSINESS
May 26, 2010 48
Circle of Friends2010 Membership Campaign
Need to increase our 2010 membership by 5% Launched in early May 2010 to our members
with email addresses Two ways to win:
Help BPG’s voice to be stronger to protect your pension and benefits. The more BPG members, the more effective is our voice;
Win your 2011 BPG annual membership
May 26, 2010 49
How does it work?
On the form provided, give us the name, telephone number and email (if available) of your friends or former colleagues who are Bell pensioners, but not yet members of BPG If you’re not sure whether your friend or former colleague is a BPG
member, provide us with as much detail as possible so we can confirm their membership status in our in our database.
Your completed form can be sent to us by mail, email, or handed in at the end of the meeting Instructions are on the form Additional copies of the form is available on the BPG – Ottawa
Chapter website (http://www.bellpensionersgroup.ca/)
May 26, 2010 50
Circle of Friends Input Form
May 26, 2010 51
How does it work? (cont’d)
A member of the BPG Ottawa Chapter Executive Committee will contact your friend or former colleague to invite them to join BPG
For every name you submit, you will receive one entry in the draw to win your 2011 BPG membership
At our October 28, 2010 BPG meeting, winners will be announced for the three (3) prizes of 2011 BPG membership dues: The person who has provided the most names of prospective
BPG members; and From all the qualifying entries, we will draw two (2) winners
Good Luck!
May 26, 2010 52
Live Well/Age Well Savvy Seniors Fair
A one-stop event dedicated to informing, promoting and sharing information and resources about healthy aging in Ottawa
A forum of experts will be on hand to discuss aging in place strategies for seniors
Guest speakers include: Dr. William Dalziel from the Regional Geriatric Assessment Clinic; Lisa MacLeod, M.P.P. Nepean and Carleton; Ann Dobbins, from Memory Matters; ABCs of Fraud, and much more
Booths from various City of Ottawa departments responsible for seniors programs and services are expected to be present
The event is hosted by Comfort Keepers & is free for seniors For more information call Comfort Keepers at 613-820-1612 When & where: Saturday, June 5
10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.Nepean Sportsplex, Salons A & B
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
NEXT MEETING
Thursday, October 28, 2010
9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Nepean Sportsplex
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