Alberta Has ‘Hit The Pause Button’ On Latest Pension Reforms

On May 6, 2014, Alberta President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance Doug Horner announced the provincial government's intention to "briefly hit the pause button" on two pieces of pension reform legislation that were introduced in April. As discussed in a previous Blakes Bulletin: Two New Bills Bring More Changes to Alberta's Pension Legislation, Bills 9 and 10 were the latest developments in the province's ongoing reforms to both public-sector and private-sector pension legislation.

After reaching a deal with its largest union on a new collective agreement and avoiding further debate over its controversial Bills 45 and 46 (designed to bar strikes in the public service and impose a new agreement), labour and opposition groups pressured the Alberta government to reconsider certain aspects of Bill 9. The provisions at issue would have imposed changes to early retirement and indexation benefits for four of Alberta's public-sector pension plans. As part of its