By: Julius Melnitzer | September 21. 2023
The Nova Scotia Labour Board has ordered St. Mary’s University to resume making pension contributions for employees on long-term disability leave, reasoning that the pension committee had no authority to make changes to contribution levels mandated by the plan.
“The board found that amendments to the pension plan proposed by the pension committee — the administrator of the pension plan — was outside the scope of the committee’s authority,” says Bettina Quistgaard, a pension lawyer at Pink Larkin who represented the university’s faculty members.
In 2018, the pension committee amended the plan so members on LTD leave could choose to continue making contributions and, if the member so elected, the university was bound to continue its contributions. However, the amendment stipulated neither plan members nor the university would make direct contributions during the leave period. Instead, the LTD insurer would remit a percentage of the member’s insured earnings as credits to the member’s account.
The pension committee submitted the amendments to the superintendent of pensions for registration. Subsequently, the faculty union applied to revoke the registration. MORE . . .
Julius Melnitzer is a Toronto-based legal affairs writer, ghostwriter, writing coach and media trainer. Readers can reach him at [email protected] or https://legalwriter.net/contact.
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