What we do<\/strong><\/h4>\nEach chapter holds meetings throughout the year, usually in the spring and fall. Chapters also maintain their own websites, and issue newsletters on a regular basis. Reports on the current dialogue with Bell and other key stakeholders are an important part of our newsletters and meetings.<\/p>\n
Here are just a few examples of the issues and activities BPG has addressed:<\/p>\n
In 1997, after meetings with senior management in the Bell Human Resources organization, agreement was reached to hold formal meetings on a regular basis with Bell. The BPG Board has now been meeting with Bell once or twice a year \u00a0to exchange information, to discuss issues and to keep each other informed on key issues.<\/p>\n
In 1999, BPG made a strategic decision to endorse two of its members as pensioner candidates for the Pension Information Council (PIC).\u00a0 Both candidates (one each for Ontario and Quebec) were elected with wide majorities. This clearly declared to Bell the interest of BPG and its members in their vested stake in the Bell Pension Fund. In subsequent elections, BPG endorsed candidates were again elected with wide majorities. BPG works closely with the PIC reps.<\/p>\n
We constantly discuss with Bell ways to improve communications with its pensioners. As a result, we now have the “In Touch” pensioners newsletter and the Bell Pensioners website at www.bellprotection.hroffice.com<\/p>\n
We resolved the issue, with Bell, and Revenue Canada, about the ‘Taxable Benefit’ associated with The Pensioners’ Group Life Insurance, with no Taxable Benefit, and hence no taxes payable for 1998 and all subsequent years.<\/p>\n
BPG in conjunction with Bell met with the Federal Departments of Finance and Human Resources Development to protest the unfairness of the proposed Federal Government’s “Seniors Benefit”. The proposal would have unilaterally withdrawn government benefits, with a ‘year of birth’ criterion, from Bell pensioners who had opted for a ‘blended’ pension, with a higher Bell component to age 65, dropping down with the advent of the previously promised government pension. Many other seniors’ organizations also commented on and criticized the “Seniors Benefit” proposal, which was subsequently withdrawn.<\/p>\n
In the summer of 2001, BPG wrote to the Premier of Ontario and the Minister of Health to protest comments by the Minister, suggesting that health benefits in the future may be related to income. Bell has stated that benefits, withdrawn by Government, will not be picked up by Bell in the future.<\/p>\n
Over the past few years, BPG has established a working relationship with the key stakeholders in the federal government, i.e. Finance Canada, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) and Human Resources and Social Development (HRSDC).<\/p>\n
In September 2006 , BPG submitted a brief to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance recommending improvements to the security of private pension plans through legislative reform. A few weeks later, the president of BPG was invited to appear before the Committee to express the BPG perspective in person.<\/p>\n
Since then, BPG has presented its views on pension reform to a number of provincial Commissions such as the Ontario Expert Commission on Pensions (OECP), the Alberta \/ British Columbia Joint Expert Panel on Pension Standards and the Nova Scotia Pension Review Panel.<\/p>\n
BPG has also been very active with organizations from the private sector, namely the C.D. Howe Institute\u00a0 and the Conference Board in Canada<\/p>\n
You can see from the examples above that we are active in lobbying to protect the rights and benefits that we earned during our careers.<\/p>\n
We cannot do it alone.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>We must have the backing of all pensioners.<\/strong><\/p>\nThere is strength in numbers: We want and need your support!<\/strong><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ module_id=”whatisbpg” _builder_version=”4.22.1″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#0066A4″ width=”100%” max_width=”1280px” custom_padding=”2vw|2vw|2vw|2vw|true|true” border_width_all=”1px” border_color_all=”#c9c9c9″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.22.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.22.1″ _module_preset=”default” text_text_color=”#FFFFFF” text_font_size=”20px” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
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In 2020, in order to celebrate the 25th anniversary of BPG’s creation, we prepared a video\u00a0highlighting the major milestones and some key individuals that were instrumental in the successful\u00a0formation\u00a0of BPG.\u00a0Please enjoy and share with your friends and colleagues.<\/p>\n
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Commemorating BPG\u2019s 20th Anniversary\u00a0<\/b><\/h5>\n
by Dan Braniff<\/p>\n
On August 12, 1994 the global financial industry and policy holders were shocked by the\u00a0 announcement that Confederation Life, a 150+ year old insurance company with a previous\u00a0 AAA rating was to be liquidated. Bell employees and pensioners were stunned to realize that\u00a0 their Supplementary Pension Plan was not guaranteed and their retirement nest eggs could get\u00a0 scrambled.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nFrantic callers to Bell Canada Benefits Administration were told that Bell accepted no\u00a0 responsibility, that they should contact the court- appointed Liquidator (Peat Marwick Thorne,\u00a0 PMTI) now KPMG. Calls to the Liquidator, (CompCorp) renamed ASSURIS) and the\u00a0 Superintendent of Financial Institutions were referred to Bell. This added to frustration, fear and\u00a0 in some cases, panic when we realized our life-time savings were indefinitely frozen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAs individuals, many of us wrote to Bell explaining our predicament. Bell\u2019s responses were\u00a0 consistently clear, \u201cBell accepts no responsibility\u201d despite the fact that Bell chose the plan, the\u00a0 administrator, the terms and conditions. We argued that Bell had every opportunity before\u00a0 liquidation to advise plan members of the risks and options to withdraw or transfer funds. Bell\u00a0 suggested that plan members could have acted on their own as Confed\u2019s ailments were common\u00a0 knowledge (Trac Services, an insurance industry rating agency warned 2 years before liquidation\u00a0 that Confederation was in serious financial difficulties.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWho could Bell plan members turn to? There was no one! Almost immediately the issue\u00a0 dominated discussions within the employee and pensioner social groups. Symbolic is the story of\u00a0 retiree, Neil Burgees, London Ontario who learned via the retiree grapevine that the Bell Old timers-Owen Sound invited a guest speaker, Ian Leith, Nesbitt Burns to their monthly\u00a0 luncheon. Leith had run a classified ad in the Toronto Star that was sympathetic to Confed\u00a0 policy holders suggesting he might have a solution. Neil formed a London-Windsor car pool to\u00a0 hear firsthand what Leith had to offer. Attendees in Owen Sound were dumbfounded in the\u00a0 realization that their nest eggs were in serious jeopardy!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOn November 23<\/span>rd<\/span>, 1994, a headline appeared on Globe and Mail\u2019s Business Section, \u201cBell\u00a0 workers to sue over group contributions\u201d. The story featured two London Bell retirees, Neil\u00a0 Burgess and Harvey Hall rallying pensioners to stand up and fight. I and many others phoned\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nNeil saying, \u201cCount me in\u201d. The clipping spread like wildfire. Organizational green shoots\u00a0 sprung up in Montreal, Quebec, Ottawa, London and Winsor. In December, after collaborating\u00a0 with some of them I notified Bell Human Resources Administration that the Bell Pension\u00a0 Recovery Group (BPRG) now BPG, wanted to meet to discuss mutual interests and ideas that\u00a0 might be considered to address the crisis. We had a financial institution ready to take over the\u00a0 Bell plan. They immediately turned us down. Bell would deal directly with plan members and\u00a0 did not require our representation…while still insisting that Bell had no legal obligation to\u00a0 guarantee plan members against any default by Confederation Life in Liquidation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAt this time we had no official organization structure. There were no funds, no constitution, no\u00a0 mandate, no liability insurance and no official plan. My oldest daughter, a lawyer who\u00a0 specialized in insurance cases at the time, drew up a statement of claim and advised us (no fee)\u00a0 with precautions to avoid being the target of litigation from Bell or our retiree\u00a0 associates. Realizing personal vulnerability we cautioned all our compatriots suggesting that\u00a0 given the stress factors, they may wish to personally back off. None resigned! These brave\u00a0 volunteers accepted unknown personal risks, gave generously of their time and paid expenses out\u00a0 their own pockets. Many had no personal stake in the recovery, having no exposure above the\u00a0 CompCorp Guaranteed limits. It was a classic all-for-one, one-for-all, grassroots reaction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nBell would not meet or talk to us, not even answer phone calls and faxes. This was a major\u00a0 hurdle as legal action was out of the question, no mandate, no funds. Most of us considered legal\u00a0 action would be costly and drag out for years. It was a very last resort. Finally, in desperation,\u00a0 late afternoon Christmas Eve, 1994, I cold-called Robert Sanderson, Peat Marwick Thorne\u00a0 (PMTI later to become KPMG). Sanderson was appointed by the Supt of Financial Institutions\u00a0 as President of Confederation Life in Liquidation. He immediately appreciated the urgency of\u00a0 our situation and said yes, he would meet with us. He offered advice on a number of issues. Most\u00a0 importantly, Bob encouraged our efforts to pressure Bell to assist recovery. Hearing that Bell\u00a0 refused to meet with us, President Sanderson confided that Bell coincidently had also requested a\u00a0 meeting with him. He offered a combined meeting (subsequently scheduled for May 17). To\u00a0 prepare, Bob Wilson, Neil Burgess, Bill Tawse and I met with Robert Sanderson on Jan 4, 1996\u00a0 to learn firsthand how Liquidation works and how BPRG might fit in. Edward Bossence, key\u00a0 man for the Liquidation process was assigned to us for ongoing consultation. He would later\u00a0 appear at subsequent BPRG chapter meetings to update and answer questions from members.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe Meeting with PMTI, Bell and BPRG convened May 17, 1995. No progress on Bell top-up\u00a0 but it established our credibility with the Liquidator, the Court, Bell and later with 52\u00a0 politicians. <\/span>It was a major milestone!\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\nNote: <\/b>In retrospect it would have been irresponsible in 1994 for Bell to negotiate with a no name organization, with no official member mandate, no structure and no constitutional\u00a0 ratification of purpose. I would have done the same!\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
May 11, 1995: The organizational structure and mandate of BPRG was approved and confirmed\u00a0 at Chapter meetings held May 31 \u2013 June 8, 1995.<\/span><\/p>\nPurpose and Structure of BPRG<\/b>:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe Organization represents the individual and collective interests of members during the\u00a0 liquidation of Confederation Life assets to ensure the maximum recovery of members’\u00a0 investments (objective l00% principal and interest). Membership was defined as those who\u00a0 support the purpose and principles of BPG. Many were never employed by Bell or affiliates.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nFounding Organization:\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
Chapter Chairs Elected: (Also serve as Corp Directors)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n- London, Neil Burgess\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Montreal, Rheal Proulx\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Ottawa, Bill Tawse\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Quebec City, Gaston Perrault\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Toronto, Ken Beach\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Corp Directors:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Ed Beaty VP\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Jacqueline Boileaux Secretary\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Bill Spratt\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Bob McLachlan\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Al Smith, Incorporation\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Dan Braniff, President\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Our relationship with the Liquidator strengthened, we were now in the inner loop on a\u00a0 continuous basis. Judge Lloyd Houlden started hearing from witnesses and stakeholders in\u00a0 preparation for his judgement. The process was complicated because of its size, the legal\u00a0 precedents and implications for so many Canadians. Subsequently, the Liquidator advised that\u00a0 there were sufficient assets to pay all claimants for invested principal without interest. Because\u00a0 the projected interest rates were at all-time highs, value was expected to compound to almost\u00a0 double value over a liquidation period of 5-8 years. BPG\u2019s firm position was that that our\u00a0 members deserved full compounded value. The Court (Justice Lloyd Houlden) was to rule. As\u00a0 BPG was the only organized entity, President Sanderson established us as de facto representation\u00a0 of all Confederation policy holders. It was critical that we kept the demand for compounded\u00a0 interest confidential. The unsecured creditors were not expected to embrace a ruling of this\u00a0 kind. Only BPG executive and those who needed to know were informed. Justice Lloyd\u00a0 Houlden set a legal precedent when he approved compounding interest as a part of legal\u00a0 settlement. To our great astonishment, unsecured creditors failed to appear during these\u00a0 proceedings. This was a monumental victory for BPG and millions of other policy holders\u00a0 worldwide!<\/span><\/p>\nThe projected recovery including compounding interest was initially estimated to be in the range\u00a0 of 70-80%. The top up from Bell would be critical, but as policy holders BPG members were no\u00a0 longer facing disaster. Our steadfast objective was to achieve full 100% recovery of principal\u00a0 plus interest and expenses. Public support was imperative. We cooled the rhetoric and set\u00a0 specific targets. A balanced plan was constructed using a three-legged strategic platform:\u00a0 political, media and legal.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nMember fees would be matched to relative exposure. Those with no exposure above the level\u00a0 insured by CompCorp would be exempt from expenses associated with lawsuits. Those who\u00a0 risked net losses were assessed an additional surcharge on a sliding scale commensurate with\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nindividual exposure. A basic membership fee of $20 per year would cover general expenses. A\u00a0 refundable surcharge was reserved for potential legal action but only if required. All expenses\u00a0 were to be refunded as part of the Bell ultimate settlement. Hardship cases were exempted from\u00a0 fees. Legal initiatives beyond general consultative advice would be subject to a motion approved\u00a0 by a majority of members.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOur volunteer legal expert (my daughter) established a model for hiring the best legal firm to\u00a0 match our situation. The successful candidate must display a successful track record of winning\u00a0 against a large corporation like Bell. There would be no conflict of interest, never having acted\u00a0 for Bell or had any aspirations for representing Bell or any affiliates. On June 9, from the short\u00a0 list of 12 finalists BPG\u2019s Legal Committee chose Koskie Minsky, Toronto.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nBPG explored several options with Bell including a value-added proposition from McKenzie\u00a0 Financial to inject a cash infusion if Bell would pay an administration fee. We suggested\u00a0 employing a mediator to assist the negotiating process. All such attempts were rejected by Bell.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOur political action plan called for contacting all Federal MPs, as well as, provincial MPPs and\u00a0 MLAs, in Ontario and Quebec including Cabinet members, PM Chretien and Premier Mike\u00a0 Harris. Ottawa Chapter coordinated providing guidelines, schedules, coaching and follow\u00a0 up. All members were encouraged to participate, especially those who had political connections.\u00a0 Bob Wilson, Ottawa Chapter conjured a system that fired off an email to every MP in Ontario\u00a0 and Quebec alerting them to our dilemma asking for their assistance and support. Members\u00a0 enduring significant hardships would communicate with local constituencies detailing their\u00a0 individual predicaments.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe political project was a monumental success thanks especially to the coordination by Ottawa\u00a0 Chapter and overwhelming member participation. <\/span>Hopefully the chapters will chronical\u00a0 additional experiences from a ground-view perspective. <\/span><\/i>The first volley of political support was\u00a0 a blistering letter to Bell President McLennan from Mike Harris, Premier of Ontario, \u201cThe\u00a0 situation is troublesome\u201d said Harris. \u201cPeople who have made sacrifices over the years to be self sustaining have become the victims of corporate bungling\u2026What\u2019s Bell going to do to make this\u00a0 right?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOvid Jackson, MP Owen Sound Grey was my MP. Initial contact was with Lyle Love, Jackson\u2019s\u00a0 Constituency Manager . Lyle was very resourceful and stick-handled a very comprehensive\u00a0 action plan. Curly Wade and 7 local BPG members joined me. We made an indelible impression\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nas each of us took a turn describing the personal impact on her\/his family. Ovid interrupted the\u00a0 meeting by setting up a conference call with Hon Doug Peters, Secretary of State for Financial\u00a0 Institutions so we could share the emotional hardship firsthand with the federal Minister who\u00a0 ordered the liquidation. Doug Peters was sympathetic but offered no solutions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOvid suggested that we immediately prepare a petition to Parliament signed by our members and\u00a0 by anyone who supported the BPG manifesto. Lyle provided the format and asked that we fill the\u00a0 Parliamentary Gallery with supporters . Our members took over the House of Commons\u00a0 Gallery. Their enthusiasm tested the limits of quiet parliamentary decorum when our Petition\u00a0 was accepted by the House. A surprise followed when Ovid requested all our supporters to join\u00a0 together in the Parliamentary Press Gallery to witness my presentation that he had arranged in\u00a0 conjunction with the Petition. This was not on my agenda but the idea was compelling! Major\u00a0 media across Canada carried our story in detail. I had to stop the car multiple times on the way\u00a0 home to answer cellphone queries from reporters including the Canadian Press. Soon afterward,\u00a0 Jean Chretien holding a copy of the Montreal Gazette visited Ovid Jackson\u2019s Ottawa Office\u00a0 praising his efforts as the kind of action that made Government proud!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOvid and Lyle shared their achievement with Caucus members, thereby opening many\u00a0 constituency doors to our BPG ambassadors. Shortly afterwards, Ovid wrote Bell President, J\u00a0 McLennan. The result was a Feb 8, 1996 meeting in Jackson\u2019s Ottawa Office, Ed Beaty and\u00a0 Jackie Boileaux for BPG. Harold Giles, VP Human Resources, and Brenda Brown, Director HR\u00a0 represented Bell Canada. As Ed Beaty, BPG V P recalls, Ovid read Mr. Giles the riot act about\u00a0 corporate responsibility. He informed Giles, \u201cOur Liberal caucus wants to see a satisfactory\u00a0 solution for pensioners.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nEarly February, 1996 Harold Giles proposed various cost sharing proposals to Ed Beaty and\u00a0 me. We declined as our mandate demanded a minimum 100% top up. Mr. Giles expressed\u00a0 concern about meeting with Ovid Jackson on Feb 8. Could we please call him off? Again we\u00a0 thanked Ovid Jackson for the impressive impact he made! February 14, Valentine\u2019s Day 1996\u00a0 while on a family skiing sabbatical at Lake Tahoe, CA, I received an urgent phone call from\u00a0 Harold Giles insisting we immediately begin serious negotiations toward a final settlement. He\u00a0 asked me to abort my pre-paid vacation. His explanation was that the Bell Board ordered him to,\u00a0 \u201c<\/span>Fix it<\/b>\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nMarch 4, 1996 Al Smith, BPG Board Member received Letter\u2019s Patent making BPG a legal\u00a0 corporation by order of Industry Canada. It took 14 months of constant follow up but BPG was\u00a0 finally a legal entity, ready to sign an agreement.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nMarch 5-25, 1996: BPG VP Ed Beaty and I had numerous meetings and contacts with Harold\u00a0 Giles and Brenda Brown to consider various scenarios. At the final face-to-face meeting with\u00a0 numerous Bell officials attending progress stalled. Head legal counsel for Bell cautioned us\u00a0 about our not having legal counsel present. We assured them that our Counsel, Murray Gold,\u00a0 Koskie Minsky had been retained but we thought lawyers were a hindrance to good-faith\u00a0 negotiations during this stage. Murray Gold would meet Bell legal representatives after we came\u00a0 to a reasonable understanding. Bell huddled after which 5-6 legal-looking members of their team\u00a0 departed. Progress accelerated and conditions that met or exceeded our mandate were mutually\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nagreed to with very little rebuttal. We reached tentative satisfaction toward meeting the BPG\u00a0 mandate. Monthly compounded interest would continue at the ongoing rate plus 0.25%. Bell\u00a0 would retroactively compensate BPG and its members for all legitimate expenses back to\u00a0 Liquidation date August 12, 1994.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nMarch 27, 1996, we signed the BELL ENHANCEMENT AGREEMENT jointly with Bell and\u00a0 the Liquidator.Shortly afterwards Harold Giles phoned to express Bell\u2019s satisfaction with the\u00a0 Agreement and the outstanding professionalism of BPG. His only regret was that Bell took so\u00a0 long. On a personal note he said if we ever needed anything I should contact him immediately,\u00a0 provided it did not cost him money! All parties were completely satisfied with the outcome.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThere were no losers. In the final stage Bell and BPG were negotiating toward mutual goals.\u00a0 Most importantly there was a sense of trust as progress gathered momentum. In that spirit we\u00a0 joined forces afterwards to convince Revenue Canada to reverse its tax decision. Bell paid no\u00a0 tax on top-up costs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nUnanimously, the BPG Board decided that BPG would and should continue. The main reason\u00a0 was to be ready and able to take remedial action before a crisis occurs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIn his letter dated 1996\/04\/26 sent to all participants in the in the Bell Group, Harold Giles,\u00a0 Group Vice President, Human Resources summarized the implications of the Enhancement\u00a0 Agreement. Bell\u2019s contributions would total $15,000,000 over five years – $3,000,000 each year\u00a0 to reduce participant\u2019s losses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe Confederation Life fiasco was unnecessary and could have been avoided through prudent\u00a0 timely interventions. According to ASSURIS the successor to CompCorp all outstanding\u00a0 obligations were recovered with exception of $5 million paid by ASSURIS. We understand that\u00a0 Bell got its top-up costs refunded. Nov 12, 2002, Approved unsecured creditors received a 5th\u00a0 interim distribution resulting in a cumulative dividend to date of 100 cents on the dollar.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nBPG\u2019s 3-legged strategy: Political, Media* and Legal proved to be paramount, but without the\u00a0 incredible teamwork the endeavour would have probably failed! It became the model for other\u00a0 group RRSPs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nConfederation could have survived with minimal discretionary assistance from ASSURIS along\u00a0 with guarantees from government, much less than was needed to bail out the auto industry during\u00a0 the 2008 recession. The greatest cost was that Canada lost more than an insurance\u00a0 company. Confederation Life was a world-scale institution. What price did we pay in lost jobs\u00a0 and related business? The disruptions to people\u2019s lives, the anxiety of employees and policy\u00a0 holders is immeasurable and will never be completely recovered. The enormous court and\u00a0 liquidation administration costs alone would surpass a prudently executed, recoverable bail out.\u00a0 It should never happen again, but what assurances are there that it won\u2019t?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nA strong and prudent BPG is our best security. I urge you to give your voluntary Board\u00a0 and Management the kind of support you provided your founding executive. Our strength\u00a0 is a growing membership and ongoing vigilance.<\/b><\/p>\n
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Original 20th Anniversary Article<\/strong><\/h5>\n2015 marks the 20<\/span>th <\/span>anniversary of the Bell Pensioners\u2019 Group! Many of our members are not\u00a0 aware of the tumultuous events that gave rise to our founding or of the important milestones\u00a0 we\u2019ve reached in the intervening years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span><\/p>\nOriginal 20th Anniversary Article<\/b><\/p>\n
2015 marks the 20<\/span>th <\/span>anniversary of the Bell Pensioners\u2019 Group! Many of our members are not\u00a0 aware of the tumultuous events that gave rise to our founding or of the important milestones\u00a0 we\u2019ve reached in the intervening years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWe have come a long way from the small but determined founding group of Bell pensioners who\u00a0 wanted nothing more than to safeguard the rights and benefits we earned during our careers.\u00a0 While we are now a membership of over 10,000 strong, what hasn\u2019t changed is our resolve to\u00a0 continue advocating for your rights and to empower you with information concerning your\u00a0 valued pensions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nHere is a brief retrospective of our history, as documented by Dan Braniff, our first President,\u00a0 and a tip of the hat to those who have shaped it in indelible ways:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nA Grassroots movement responds\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
On August 12, 1994 the global financial industry and policy holders were rocked by the\u00a0 announcement that Confederation Life, a 150+ year old insurance company with a previous\u00a0 AAA rating, was to be liquidated. Bell employees and pensioners were stunned to realize that\u00a0 their Supplementary Pension Plan was not guaranteed and their retirement nest eggs were in\u00a0 jeopardy. Bell \u201caccepted no responsibility\u201d to protect plan members against any default by the\u00a0 liquidation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nIn a Globe & Mail story covering the issue, two London, ON Bell retirees, Neil Burgess and\u00a0 Harvey Hall, rallied pensioners to stand up and fight. They were soon contacted by many\u00a0 equally-concerned Bell retirees and word spread. \u201cThese brave volunteers accepted unknown\u00a0 personal risks, gave generously of their time and paid expenses out of their own pockets for our\u00a0 effort. It was a classic \u2018all-for-one, one-for-all\u2019 grassroots reaction,\u201d recalls Dan Braniff,\u00a0 Founding President of the BPG.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nOrganizational chapters soon sprung up in Montr\u00e9al, Qu\u00e9bec, Ottawa, London and Windsor.\u00a0 BPG was officially formed in May 1995 with a structure and mandate to \u201c<\/span>represent the\u00a0 individual and collective interests of members during the liquidation of Confederation Life assets\u00a0 to ensure the maximum recovery of members’ investments (l00% principal and interest)<\/span><\/i>.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nMembers Bob Wilson, Neil Burgess, Bill Tawse and Dan Braniff arrange to meet with a\u00a0 representative of the Liquidator to understand the complex process to come and BPG\u2019s role in it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThoughtful, Sustained Strategy\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
BPG put forth several options to Bell to settle the situation, all of which were rejected. BPG then\u00a0 set to work on a three-pronged strategic plan of attack that comprised political, media and legal\u00a0 angles. They retained the best legal firm for their situation and launched a well-coordinated\u00a0 campaign to engage all Federal MPs, provincial MPPs and MLAs, in Ontario and Qu\u00e9bec in\u00a0 their effort, including Cabinet members, former Prime Minister Jean Chr\u00e9tien and former\u00a0 Ontario Premier Mike Harris.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nBut it was the fervent interventions of Ovid Jackson, Member of Parliament for Owen Sound\u00a0 Grey-Bruce that won BPG essential political and media support. Ovid was instrumental in\u00a0 keeping our case on the radar of high-ranking politicians and whose successful idea it was to present a petition to Parliament signed by our members and supporters \u2013 which was accepted by\u00a0 the House. Ovid also wrote to Bell President John McLennan and secured a meeting with\u00a0 company representatives demanding action from Bell to settle the impasse.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cThe political lobbying was a monumental success thanks especially to the coordination by our\u00a0 Ottawa Chapter and overwhelming member participation,\u201d comments Dan.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nBPG kept up the pressure and the issue in the public eye; over 100 articles about their cause were\u00a0 published in national newspapers during the struggle. Many meetings with Bell officials ensued,\u00a0 concluding with the successful negotiation on March 27, 1996 of an Enhancement Agreement\u00a0 with Bell, brokered with the help of Ed Beaty, that guaranteed appropriate financial\u00a0 compensation upon liquidation of Confederation Life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nPerhaps the most significant achievement of BPG was the Court\u2019s precedent-setting ruling for\u00a0 payment of interest to policy holders. Compounding value at double digit prevailing rates during\u00a0 the settlement period meant that BPG members received about twice their invested dollar value.\u00a0 Even those who were covered by CompCorp guaranties benefited by the windfall. The liquidator\u00a0 indicated that it was BPG\u2019s persistent convincing arguments that persuaded Judge Lloyd\u00a0 Houlden to accept BPG as the de facto voice of all three million policy holders when he awarded\u00a0 the entitlement of compounding interest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe hard-fought victory was to be a model for other Group RRSPs. \u201cOur 3-pronged strategy\u00a0 proved to be paramount but without the incredible teamwork the endeavour would have probably\u00a0 failed,\u201d affirms Dan.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWith trust between BPG and Bell restored, the two organizations joined forces to successfully\u00a0 convince Revenue Canada to reverse a previous decision on tax implications of the settlement.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nA Legacy on which to Build<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
The BPG Board would later decide that BPG should continue to advocate on behalf of\u00a0 pensioners\u2019 rights, ready for pre-emptive action should another threat occur. Today, BPG\u00a0 continues to advocate on many fronts, including intervention in legislative and policy issues with\u00a0 both Federal and Provincial governments and other stakeholders in the pension area.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nLooking to the future, we believe there is more of a need than ever for a strong and unified voice representing Bell pensioners. We are committed to working with you to successfully protect our\u00a0 pensions and benefits for the next 20 years – and beyond.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nFounding Organization\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
Chapter Chairs Elected (also serve as Corporate Directors):\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n- London: Neil Burgess\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Montr\u00e9al: Rh\u00e9al Proulx\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Ottawa: Bill Tawse\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Qu\u00e9bec City: Gaston Perreault\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Toronto: Ken Beach\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Corporate Directors:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Dan Braniff, President\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Ed Beaty, Vice-President\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Jacqueline Boileau, Secretary\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Al Smith, Incorporation\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Bob McLachlan\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
- Bill Spratt\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Timeline of Key Events\u00a0<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n
August 1994<\/u><\/strong><\/i><\/b><\/p>\nConfederation Life collapses. Bell accepts no responsibility to protect pension plan members.<\/p>\n
November 1994<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\nBell retirees Neil Burgess and Harvey Hall rally pensioners to \u201cstand up and fight.\u201d Groups assemble across Ontario and Qu\u00e9bec.<\/p>\n
Jan-May 1995<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\nBob Wilson, Neil Burgess, Bill Tawse and Dan Braniff meet with the Liquidator. They put forth several possible options to Bell to resolve the situation. None
is accepted.<\/p>\n
In May, BPG officially forms.<\/p>\n
1995-1996<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\nBPG launches a sustained media, political and legal campaign to keep their issue centre stage.<\/p>\n
March 1996<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\nBPG and Bell sign an Enhancement Agreement guaranteeing appropriate compensation to policy holders.<\/p>\n
<\/i><\/b><\/p>\nFounding Members are Recognized on the Occasion of BPG`s 20th Anniversary<\/b><\/h6>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bellpensionersgroup.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Former-Presidents.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Former Presidents at the Ontario Central AGM on May 6, 2015\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
L to R: Russ Donaldson, Carol Reid, Dan Braniff (Founding President), Jim McColl and Al\u00a0 Bowcott<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bellpensionersgroup.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Ottawa-Chapter.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Ottawa Chapter Founding Members at the AGM on May 20, 2015\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
L to R:John Elliot, Marilyn Easterbrook (Ottawa Chapter Chair), Claire Collis, Roy Coleman,\u00a0 Dan McDonald (BPG President), Peter Wall<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bellpensionersgroup.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/London-519-Chapter.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
London (519) Chapter Founding Members at the SWO AGM on May 5, 2015 <\/b>L to R: Dan McDonald (BPG President), Garth Lowther, Don Graham (SWO Chapter Chair),\u00a0 Norm Walker, Don Williams, Gary Styan\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bellpensionersgroup.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Quebec-Chapter.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Quebec Chapter Founding Members at the AGM on June 3, 1995\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
L to R: Dan McDonald (BPG President), Paul-Emile Gosselin, Jean Lamer (Quebec Chapter\u00a0 Chair)<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/bellpensionersgroup.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Members-of-the-Montreal-Chapter.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Some Members of the Montreal Chapter since 1995 at the AGM on June 4, 2015 <\/b>L to R: Louis-Philippe Charbonneau, Denyse Fournier, Yves Sauve, Gladys Scully, Walter\u00a0 Pearce, Murielle Laverdiere\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n[\/difl_advanced_blurb][difl_advanced_blurb content_width=”1080px” _builder_version=”4.22.1″ _module_preset=”default” content_body_font=”||||||||” content_body_font_size=”20px” content_body_line_height=”1.6em” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Consolidated Excerpts from National Presidents over 25 Years<\/b><\/h5>\n
BPG Twenty Five Years of Adcocacy, Innovation and Leadership!\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
February 6, 2020\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
Since the official founding of BPG on May 11<\/span>th <\/span>1995 the organization has evolved led by\u00a0 successive presidents and their respective boards. Each president faced unique challenges as the\u00a0 pension and regulatory landscape changed along with our relationship with Bell. There were\u00a0 many accomplishments some large and others incremental while building and fostering a strong\u00a0 and positive working relationship with Bell. Among the greatest successes on the government\u00a0 side was income splitting while on the Bell side we have helped to improve communication\u00a0 between Bell and pensioners and the best evidence of this is the excellent and comprehensive\u00a0 annual pension statement as well as helping to enhance communication channels to\u00a0 pensioners. We were also instrumental in helping to create a strong alliance of similar\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\norganizations to more effectively lobby government at all levels across the country. Our\u00a0 presidents from 1995 to 2020 have documented the key issues, events and challenges they faced\u00a0 to help capture our story and so preserve the history of our initial 25 years:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nDan Braniff (1995-1997)\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
BPG founders recognized there was no model to fit our situation. We would have to create one\u00a0 to achieve member\u2019s financial recovery. We needed a road map that would give us the best\u00a0 chance. We decided to employ a 3 pronged approach <\/span>Political, Media <\/b>and <\/span>Legal <\/b>and later we\u00a0 added a 4<\/span>th <\/span>element working with the Liquidator.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAn ad hoc committee emerged. <\/span>I was recruited to be founding President, Ed Beaty, Vice\u00a0 President. And we assumed the role of BPG Negotiators.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\nLegal: <\/b>We invited 10 legal firms to bid for representation. BPG\u2019s legal committee hired Murray\u00a0 Gold, Koskie Minsky, Toronto. The BPG Board approved a sliding scale member fee that would\u00a0 cover costs. The assessment fee was proportionally based on exposure risk. Most members\u00a0 were satisfied that this was fair and reasonable under the circumstances. A provision for\u00a0 hardship cases helped.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nPolitical<\/b>: Early on, our local chapter contacted <\/span>Ovid Jackson<\/b>, Federal MP for Owen Sound\u00a0 requesting guidance. Ovid offered a start-up plan that seemed almost perfect. BPG would\u00a0 organize a Petition to the Parliament of Canada and gather as many signatures as possible from\u00a0 the local community, including relatives, friends, \u201cany person or group that supported BPG\u2019s\u00a0 endeavour\u201d. Ovid made a formal presentation to the full House of Commons with BPG\u00a0 members and friends attending in the Parliamentary Gallery, occasionally breaking the rules of\u00a0 silence with slogans of support.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nMedia<\/b>: Ovid scheduled a media conference in the Parliamentary Press Room in conjunction with\u00a0 our Petition. We were initially disappointed to see many empty chairs but were comforted by\u00a0 Ovid\u2019s explanation that media routinely participated from the hotel bar across the street through\u00a0 a cable link! As a result, dozens of media carried our story. I received several media calls on my\u00a0 cell phone on my drive home from Ottawa. Media coverage continued as news of our struggle\u00a0 gathered momentum, nationally and locally, thanks to effective efforts of many members. We\u00a0 had a great start!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n