Your pension plan is a defined benefit (DB) pension plan whose primary purpose is to provide you with regular and secure monthly pension income after your retirement for the remainder of your lifetime. The pension you will receive is calculated based on a formula that considers your entire history working under CWA/ITU collective agreements. In certain circumstances, the pension fund may also provide benefits in the event of your disability or death. The monthly pension you will receive from this pension plan is in addition to any retirement income from CPP or Old Age Security (OAS).
Your monthly pension amount is determined as percentage of the contributions remitted to the pension plan on your behalf over time. The percentage applied is specific to each group participating in the pension plan and it can vary over time as well to reflect changing economic and demographic conditions. As an example, if $2,500 was contributed to the pension plan on your behalf over a year and the applicable accrual percentage was set at 0.8%, you would earn an additional $20 of monthly lifetime pension ($2,500 x 0.8% = $20.00) for that calendar year. Doubling the contributions to $5,000 per year would double the accrual to $40.00 for the year. If you retire on or after the plan’s normal retirement date (age 65), the full amount of your pension is payable for the rest of your life. For retirements prior to age 65, a reduction applies to account for the additional payments you will receive over your lifetime.
To submit your forms, find the form you need in the list provided and carefully follow the instructions. Please note that we accept submissions via email or fax, but it is important that your forms have a wet (ink) signature for them to be processed. At this time, we do not accept electronic or digital signatures.
The Application for Pension Plan Membership is also available through your Participating Employer.
Note: Below are the forms categorized by province. Please make sure to complete the form corresponding to your province of residence.
If you are working under a CWA/ITU collective agreement that requires contributions be remitted on your behalf to the pension fund, you will automatically join the plan once a minimum of $250 is received on your behalf over a 12-month period. Contributions include those remitted by your employer as well as any employee contributions that may be stipulated in the collective agreement. You are required to fill in a Registration Form to join the Pension Plan.
The pension fund provides an annual statement to members advising if they are eligible to receive a pension and the monthly pension amount earned to date.
Knowing the amount of contributions remitted on your behalf is not sufficient to determine your monthly pension benefit on its own as the employer-specific and time-specific accrual percentages are also required to complete the calculations. You can find the amount of pension you have earned to date on the most recent annual pension statement mailed to you.
To request a copy or your annual statement, please contact us.
The Member Portal is an online tool where you can:
Coming soon
Have a question about your pension plan? Check out our Answers Hub to learn more about it.
Your pension benefits are generally "locked-in" and can't be withdrawn as cash. They must provide retirement income instead. There are some exceptions for small pensions, which depend on provincial rules. For example:
As an Active Plan member, you are not permitted to withdraw your vested pension account until your termination or retirement from your employment.
