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CBC PENSIONERS ASSOCIATION,
MARITIMES

Volume 4, Issue 3	Fall 2008
Automne,2008

PRESIDENT'S REPORT

By John McKay

I'll start by announcing the date for our annual Christmas dinner. It will be held on December 3rd at the Fairview Legion starting at 11:30 and probably finishing at 2 or 2:30. It is open to all Members and partners. Tickets are available for non members for $20.00.

The meal will be the usual turkey dinner with enough pre dinner time to enjoy a free drink from the bar. There will also be a cash bar available.

Also there will be a plethora of door prizes available for the draw after the meal. Louise Fredericks will see to that. Louise can be contacted at l.gfred@ns.sympatico.ca By phone (902) 454-4359 to book your seats.

So please mark your calendar for December 3rd. We would all love to see you there!!

As you can see we no longer have a full news letter. So for the time being we will put out two of these information sheets during the year. If there is anyone who is prepared to do news letter for the CBC PMA please send along the information. There is more than enough information to fill four or five pages on every edition. If you are interested please get in touch with David Carr or myself.

Our Halifax lunch meeting are still very well attended. We normally see forty to sixty people every month. The numbers fluctuate during the snowbird season and obviously the daily weather takes it toll.

In May the National Executive met in Saint Johns Nfld. Our President Pierre Racicot made the run to our meeting before returning home to Ottawa. The reason was to explain the basics of the Pension Agreement with the CBC. The full meeting was taken up with this topic. The meeting was timed to be the last one before our spring hiatus. We returned on September the 10th.to much the same thing. This time Pierre was accompanied by our English Vice President Howard Simpson. They came to Halifax from Moncton where on September 9th they gave a full accounting of the newly negotiated Pension Sharing Formula that the CBC had agreed to in July.

Both meetings were vey well attended. Moncton had a full house and Halifax had a turn out of around 80. Halifax was able to get Bill Doyle to the meeting so hopefully Bill will get the word out in Cape Breton and maybe form a Cape Breton Chapter shortly. PEI, unfortunately were not able to send a representative.

In October there was another National Board Meeting. This one took pace in Ottawa and the agenda was full. The evening prior to the start of the Board meetings, Pierre arranged that the CBC President, Hubert Lacroix, addressed the Board. From his presentation it became apparent that he has a definite interest in Pensioners and seems to be ready to keep the lines of communications open.

The next day the meetings began starting with the Pension Sharing Agreement, Supplementary Health Care, EAP (Employee Assistance) and finally planning for the May triennial convention/AGM. Our region will be entitled to send two delegates to the May meetings. These meetings are very important for the future of the Association. by-laws are introduced and or changed we will have to decide on the dues structure (may be reducing them) and there will be a full discussion on the direction the Association should take, now that some of the major goals have been addressed.

Which leads me to Supplementary Health Care (GWL/ABC). As usual there was the normal fall review. There will be a very small increase in 2009. But the main point is that the CBC agreed to review the Moncton plan and has come forward with a solution to address the discrepancies between the New Brunswick members and the 63 Moncton members. This will probably lay the ground work for a future change in the GWL/ABC plan. Hopefully leading to the amalgamation of the Great West and the Blue Cross plans resulting in just one GWL plan .

Our faithful treasurer, Tom Pottie, has kept the association on the financial up and up. Tom reports that the books are in good shape and that the 2008 revenue shows an 8% increase over 2007. March 2007 ………….$7,568 Dues 2007-2008……...$8,442 Expenses 2008 …… $7,343 Net at Mar 31st 2008… $8,703

The expenses are mostly related to the Christmas dinner, hall rentals, a small amount for travel coupled with general operating expenses. Tim Allen performs our annual audit.

We heard that Floyd and Florence Estabrooks had a 60th wedding anniversary on Feb 12 this year. Floyd was a CBC Sackville NB, Radio Canada International employee for over 35 years. The Board offers their congratulations.

On a closing note there are a number of names who are no longer with us. Most were seen at out meetings from time to time. People like Tom Johnston, Roy Pottie, Frank Kennedy, David Ross, Henry Orenstein and Mike Delaney. They will be missed.

Please remember December 3rd.

The Board would like to take this opportunity to wish you a happy and healthy holiday season

John McKay

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Rapport du président

Il y aura une réunion importante pour tous les retraité-e-s SRC qui sont présentement inscrits au plan d'assurance santé secondaire Great West Life, à Moncton. Radio-Canada vous propose une réforme majeure. Deux sessions auront lieu le mercredi 26 novembre au Cercle des Journalistes/Press Club. La session en français se tiendra à 10h00 du matin et la session en anglais aura lieu à 13h00. Pour vous renseigner, il y aura le président national de l'Association des retraité-e-s SRC, Pierre Racicot. Avec lui, Richard Leblanc, des Ressources humaines de la SRC, ainsi que Louise Charlebois de la compagnie Mercer's, qui gère les divers plans pour la SRC.

Il s'agira de vous informer des changements qui seront implantés à partir de 2009. Le vieux plan continuerait d'exister sans changements, pour tous les adhérents actuels qui le préfèrent. Mais désormais, aucune nouvelle inscription ne serait acceptée. En remplacement, la SRC offrirait aux nouveaux retraité-es un plan nouveau avec moins de couverture, et bien moins coûteux. Nos retraité-e-s abonnés au vieux plan pourront transférer nouveau plan. Ou ils pourront rester dans le vieux plan. Chaque retraité-e recevra un formulaire pour indiquer le choix qu'il veut faire. Je vous conseille vivement d'assister, avec votre conjoint-e, à l'une ou l'autre session sur la réforme de l'assurance santé pour Moncton, pour pouvoir mieux décider ce que vous voulez faire. MAURICE OLSEN, président section Moncton

A NEW HEALTH CARE PLAN FOR MONCTON PENSIONERS

MONCTON - All Moncton CBC pensioners enrolled in the present CBC Secondary Health Plan are encouraged to attend upcoming information sessions to be held at the Moncton Press Club on Wednesday, November 26th. The first session will take place in French at 10 a.m. and the second, in English at l p.m. on that day. You're welcome to attend either one. The Association's National President, Pierre Racicot will be attending, accompanied by Richard Leblanc of CBC Human Resources, and Louise Charlebois of Mercer's, which manages our various plans.

In a word: The aim is to inform all pensioners enrolled in the CBC Health Care Plan about changes that will be implemented in early 2009. The old plan will continue to exist unchanged for all those presently in it, but it will be closed to new enrolments. In its place, CBC will offer to upcoming pensioners a new plan offering less coverage and costing considerably less. Old plan pensioners can choose to switch into the new plan. if they want. Or they can stay in the old plan. Each insured pensioner will receive a letter to sign, showing what his or her choice will be. I stress that these sessions are important to you. You and your spouse should make it a point to attend, in order to make an informed choice. MAURICE OLSEN, Chapter President.

SOUPER DE NOËL AU CLUB BEAUSÉJOUR DE CURLING (English follows) MONCTON - L'an passé, nous étions plus de 70 à la fête. Oui, le souper de Noël devient une de nos traditions. Yvonne Cormier et Yvonne Richard vous invitent à venir fêter le mercredi 3 décembre prochain. Il y aura un vin d'honneur (gratuit) offert par notre groupe de Moncton et le bar payant vous accueillera à partir de 17h00. Qui a une bonne histoire de Noël à raconter? Ça vous vaudra un ticket pour un verre de vin ou autre, en récompense! Un souper buffet tout garni, dessert, café, thé, sera servi vers 18h30. Animation, tirage de BEAUX prix de présence et bonne humeur garantie. Réservations obligatoires. 10$ chacun par membre et conjoint-e ou invité-e. 22$ chacun pour NON membres. Il faut réserver au plus tard le vendredi, 28 novembre. Téléphoner à : Yvonne Cormier, 389 1051. Par courriel à Ronald Cormier : rcormier8563@rogers.com Tou'd'suite! Pour pas oublier!! On vous attend!

CHRISTMAS SUPPER AT BEAUSÉJOUR CURLING CLUB

MONCTON - Last year more that 70 of us made it. Yes, our annual Christmas Supper is ever closer. Yvonne Cormier and Yvonne Richard are pleased to invite you to an evening of good cheer on Wednesday December 3rd. There will be a wine toast offered free by our Moncton Chapter. You-pay Happy Hour will start around 5 p.m. A buffet supper with all the trimmings will be served after 6:30 p.m. - main course, dessert, tea, coffee. Do you have good or humorous Christmas story to share? It 'll be worth a free wine or bar ticket. Hosted evening and fine door prizes. Reservations are a must! $10 each per member and partner; $22 each for non-members. Reserve by Friday, November 28th. By phone to : Yvonne Cormier, 389 1051. By e-mail: Ronald Cormier, rcormier8563@rogers.com Don't delay, else you forget! We're expecting you!

Maurice Olsen