Montreal firefighters win pension victory
Montreal’ s firefighters’ union is declaring its first victory in its legal battle against municipal pension plan reforms after a Quebec Superior Court judge ruled its members were within their rights to apply for lastminute retirements.
The case focused on 35 firefighters who announced they would retire on June 12, 2014, the day the provincial government tabled Bill 3, its effort to rein in ballooning municipal pension plan costs by forcing union members to pay equally into pension plans and shoulder an equal burden of plan deficits.
Told by their union that the changes could cost them tens of thousands of dollars, 80 members had already taken its advice to retire.
Article 62 of the pension plan bill stipulated only those members “who made a request to their pension fund manager between Jan. 1, 2014 and June 12, 2014” would be considered as eligible for the existing pension plan payouts.
The 35 members in question submitted their intention to retire between 11 p. m. and 11: 59 p. m. on that day.
Quebec’s Crown prosecutor, along with provincial pension plan regulator Retraite Québec, argued that the municipal affairs minister had said in the National Assembly anyone wanting to be included under the old regime had to broadcast their intention to retire before June 12.
Judge Michel Yergeau, however, said that was not specified in the govern- ment’s bill, and sided with the union.
“We are very pleased, we are satisfied that our arguments were heard and that this is a win on every level,” said Ronald Martin, president of the firefighters union.
Martin said he could not estimate how much retired firefighters would save by being allowed to remain under their old plans because negotiations and court challenges are continuing. Figures in the range of $70,000 were cited in 2014.
Changes under the plan could cut the overall remuneration of active firefighters by 20 per cent, he said.