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Public service professionals suing NB government over pension reforms - Telegraph Journal
CHRIS MORRIS Legislature Bureau January 24, 2016
The New Brunswick government is facing a second lawsuit over changes made to public sector pensions that have raised the ire of retirees and some unions.
The previous Tory government’s decision to convert existing pensions to a shared-risk model, put into effect in 2014, has been the subject of protest and litigation. Now a national public sector union is moving ahead with its lawsuit against the province.
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada has filed a notice of action in the Court of Queen’s Bench in Fredericton, alleging that the New Brunswick pension reform violates section 2D of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, specifically freedom of association.
The Ups and Downs of Stochastic Modelling
As a follow-up to their recent report prepared for CUPE (see posting on Coalition's web-site of 31 July 2015 - "CUPE Holding Premier to Campaign Promises") PBI Actuarial Consultants have posted another article examining "Stochastic Modelling."
Update - Mise a Jour
Dear retirees, families and friends of the Coalition. Your Coalition is pleased to inform you that other legal challenges are being commenced by other plaintiffs against the Province and other defendants concerning their pension entitlement. In fact, a Notice of Action and a Statement of Claim was filed in the Court of Queen’s Bench of NB, Trial Division, December 30, 2015. We are very pleased with this outcome and will advise of any new developments.
Festive Season's Greetings - Souhaits pour la Saison Estivale
Dear Pensioners and Friends of the Coalition,
Our legal case has been assigned to Justice Judy Clendenning for Case Management. Our lawyer, Ari Kaplan, and the lawyer representing the Province, Stephen Hutchison, will be meeting with Justice Glendenning in mid-February to finalize the schedule of the various stages of the case.
May we take this opportunity to thank you again for your ongoing support. We wish you, your family and friends a Joyous festive season and our wish to you is that 2016 be filled with good health and a successful resolution to our legal challenge.
Pension Coalition NB
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Chers retraités et amis de la Coalition,
Notre dossier légal a été assigné au Juge Judy Clendenning pour une meilleure gestion de cas. Notre avocat Ari Kaplan ainsi que l' Avocat représentant la Province, Stephen Hutchison , ont une rencontre prévue avec Juge Glendenning a la mi- février afin de planifier les divers étapes de notre cas.
Permettez - nous de vous remercier encore pour votre appui continu. Nous aimerions vous souhaiter à vous, votre famille et vos amis, une très belle saison estivale. Notre souhait pour tous en 2016 est de la santé et nous espérons une resolution positive a notre dossier légal.
Pension Coalition NB
Legal Update/Mise-a-Jour du Processus Légal
Members,
We are progressing with your legal case and have concluded the first of the three stages:
- Pleadings
- Our Statement Claim – Aug 14, 2015
- Their Statement of Defense – Sept 14, 2015, and
- Our Reply – Sept 24, 2015
- Discovery Stage – which may begin before Christmas
- Trial Preparation
Unbelievably, as part of the government’s defense, they are seeking to recover their legal costs and disbursements from the four individual plaintiffs personally. The plaintiffs have allowed the action to be pursued in their individual names on their respective behalves, so that the case can move forward more quickly. Your Pension Coalition Steering Committee maintains that given the précédent nature setting case we have and future impacts on our pensions, we must continue with this case and find the means to indemnify our plaintiffs, if any adverse costs awards are granted by the court.