Pensioners > FAQ > The CAAT Pension Plan in general

FAQ - The CAAT Pension Plan in general

How big is the CAAT Pension Plan? How does it compare in size to other plans?

The CAAT Pension Plan has about 17,500 Members and about 11,000 Pensioners. As of December 2007, the Plan's assets were valued at $5,444 million. This means that by asset value, there are about 25 pension funds larger than the CAAT Plan in Canada.

FAQs

The CAAT Pension Plan in general
Retirement
Bridge benefits
Indexation
The 60 Months Guarantee
Survivor benefits

Governance

Plan governance and policies

A history of security and trust

A brief look at the CAAT Pension Plan

The CAAT Pension Plan values your privacy

Investments

What's the difference between a defined benefit pension plan and other kinds of plans?

In a defined benefit plan, such as the CAAT Pension Plan, the employer's promise is that a specific amount of pension will be available to you when you retire. Your pension is based on your years of membership in the Plan and your 60 months of Highest Average Pensionable Earnings. You will have a guaranteed stream of income for life once you retire. The Plan's obligation is to ensure it has sufficient assets to pay the pension. This is regularly and carefully monitored.

Most other pension plans fall into the defined contribution, or money purchase, framework. In this case, the employer's promise is that a specific contribution will be made to the plan member's account. The value of the ultimate pension is unknown until the member retires. The member, rather than the employer, is responsible for the investment risk.

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Does the CAAT Pension Plan do anything to ensure that my personal information stays private?

The CAAT Plan Board of Trustees and administrators strive for the highest possible standard that will allow them to both protect personal information and meet their governance obligations. We consider the protection of your personal information to be one of our top priorities. We have developed a Privacy Policy, which uses the 10 principles of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) as its model.

To ensure that the protection of your personal information remains at the forefront of our daily concerns, our Privacy Officer reviews and monitors our administrative procedures to ensure that we remain compliant with our model. To access our Privacy Policy and the steps we are taking to protect your personal information, visit our privacy pages.

Does the CAAT Pension Plan pay for health and insurance benefits in retirement?

By law, pension plans cannot pay for anything other than pensions out of the pension plan. The payment of post retirement insured benefits such as health care is something that is decided between the employer and its employees. The CAAT Pension Plan is not associated with the issue, as it is out of our jurisdiction and mandate.

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October 2008