Supporting our members through the COVID-19 pandemic
Please note, we are open for business but our office is closed to in-person visits for our members.
See details.
Members receiving a pension or LTD benefit by cheque:
Canada Post has issued a delivery service alert for BC and you may experience a delay in receiving your cheque. Postal delivery to Merritt is suspended and delivery to other parts of BC may be delayed due to adverse weather conditions.
If you receive your pension or LTD benefit by cheque, please contact the Plan Office to switch to EFT or complete and fax a direct deposit form. You can find the forms here.
We are pleased to present the After Work Fall/Winter newsletter for 2021. Copies will be mailed to our membership and employers in the coming week.
Are you wondering when you can retire? Or what you can expect to receive from your pension plan in retirement? Or are you simply curious about where your contributions go? If yes, you should attend our upcoming webinar about your IWA–Forest Industry Pension Plan.
At the webinar, you'll learn:
The 45-minute online presentation is packed with useful information. We'll also have a live question-and-answer session at the end of the webinar, so come prepared with questions.
The webinar will be held at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 3, 2021. Register today to reserve your spot:
If you are unable to attend, sign up anyway as we will send a link of the recording to everyone who registered. All you need to attend the webinar is a divice such as a computer, table or smartphone with internet access and sound.
We are pleased to present the LTD plan annual report for the year ending December 31, 2020.
We are pleased to present the pension plan annual report for the year ending December 31, 2020.
Every year, the Plan Office has a legal duty to verify whether a member is living and that their pension benefit is being paid to the correct individual. This process is designed to prevent fraud and error so that every payout goes to the correct recipient. It is important that the Plan Office be notified promptly of the death of any member to avoid having to recover overpayments and intended estate representatives should be advised of this.
A certificate of existence form will be mailed out this week. Not all members will receive this form. Rather this form will be mailed to a sample number of members and beneficiaries based on pension option, age and amount paid. We use this form to update and confirm information we have on file. If you receive this form, please complete and return it as soon as possible. If the form is not completed, we must withhold pension payments until confirmation is received.
Be sure to check your mail as annual statements are on their way!
To all pensioners:
Your 2020 annual pension benefit statement will be coming in the mail soon. It contains details about your monthly pension, your pension option and any beneficiary coverage you may have.
To all active and deferred members:
Your 2020 annual pension statement will be coming in the mail soon. It contains details of your pension as of December 31, 2020, as well as your current beneficiary on file. Please review carefully and notify us if you have an address change or if you would like to elect or change your beneficiary.
Included with all statements is a copy of the Spring/Summer 2021 After Work newsletter. The newsletter contains informative and interesting member and financial information, articles on your pension and LTD plans as well as any important information or changes to the plans.
Feel free to download a copy here.
If you are a member of the pension plan and do not receive your statement by July 1st, please contact the Plan Office.
The trustees of the IWA–Forest Industry LTD Plan have approved changes to the LTD trust agreement and the LTD plan text to align long term disability (LTD) coverage to weekly indemnity coverage.
Effective July 1, 2021, employees will start contributing and participating in the LTD Plan at the same time they become eligible for weekly indemnity coverage under an Industry Health and Welfare Plan and are not classified as casual or part time as per the employer’s collective agreement. That means contributory hours start at the same time they begin contributing or become eligible for weekly indemnity coverage under an Industry Health and Welfare Plan.
Contributions will continue up to six months prior to the employee’s 60th birthday. If the employee was previously employed and covered by the IWA–Forest Industry LTD Plan in the eighteen-month period immediately prior to their employment with your company, then contributory hours start from the first hour the employee works.
Once an employee starts contributing to the LTD Plan, they are covered for long term disability. However, casual and part-time employees are not eligible for LTD and are not required to contribute to the LTD plan. Here is an example under a sample Industry Health and Welfare Plan of when an employee starts participating:
|
Month 1 (days worked) |
Month 2 |
Month 3
|
LTD contributions start |
| 10 days | 15 days | 15 days | 1st of Month 4 |
| 20 | 15 | 30 | 1st of Month 3 |
| 30 | 25 | 20 | 1st of Month 2 |
| 5 | 5 | 5 | Has not qualified. Would qualify the 1st of the following month after the employee has worked 30 days in 90-day period. |
Effective May 7, 2021, an employer formally becomes a participating employer when required to join the LTD plan under a collective agreement, although Participation Agreements are still required.
These changes modify any prior content in a Participation Agreement, Employer Administration Manual or other plan document. The contributory hours reporting guide has been updated accordingly on our website here. Any questions can be directed to the Plan Office at contributions@iwafibp.ca or call 1.800.663.4384.
The break in service packages for those members who broke service as of December 31, 2020, will be mailed by March 19, 2021. Members who have worked less than 350 covered hours in two consecutive calendar years will have broken service and become deferred members.
If you have moved recently and have not notified the Plan Office, please contact us so that we can ensure you get your package.
Watch this short video to understand your break in service options better:
Employers can now submit their contributions to the IWA–Forest Industry Pension and LTD Plans using our pre-authorized debit service through EmployerConnect. Making the move to pre-authorized debit saves time and money for all involved as no cheques are required. Payments are completed online and on time, faster than mailing a cheque.
To access, we ask employers to:
We'll send a confirmation once your service is up and running. Here are some frequently asked questions on pre-authorized payment services.