Retirees

Information for Retirees

Congratulations on your retirement! At the Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA), we've provided you with a list of services and special offers in which you can participate in and/or use. We hope that you will find this information useful in making decisions about your retirement. Do you know who else has recently retired as an ONA member? Find out here.

You may wish to become involved at ONA and volunteer with our political action events and other activities. Please contact your former Bargaining Unit President for more information.  

Latest News for Retirees

On March 29, the federal government unveiled the budget for the 2012-13 fiscal year. The Congress of  Union Retiress of Canada says Tories are way off track on pensions noting “The budget does little to assist young people today through affordable education and jobs and will penalize them when they do retire." 

HOOPP released its December 2011 Pensions in Perspectives newsletter. In it, find out what the differences are between a defined contribution plan and defined benefit plan, and much more. Download the newsletter here.

Compensation and Benefits

The Ontario Nurses' Association prides itself on taking care of its members, especially when it comes to improving members' economic welfare and benefits. That's why we've set up an ONA Dental Plan for Early Retirees (for those who worked in the hospital sector). This plan is for retirees between ages 60 to 64 and their eligible dependents. Find out more about this program here.

In the most recent hospital collective agreement, ONA bargained for significant improvements in benefits for retired members. Among them:

Early Retiree Benefits

• Effective April 1, 2011, for full-time employees at age 57, early retiree benefits at 50/50 employer/employee shared cost.

• Employers to contact employees age 57-60 within thirty (30) days of the award who retired on/or after April 1, 2011 who will then have 60 days to respond to elect to take the new retiree benefits.

• Employers to contact employees age 60-65 within thirty (30) days of the award who retired on/or after April 1, 2011 who will then have 60 days to respond to elect to take the new retiree benefits or enroll in OHA dental retiree benefits.

For more information about these benefits, please contact your Bargaining Unit President.

Also, visit the following organizations for more information about how you can maximize your compensation and benefits during your retirement: Johnson Insurance, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP), and Canada Pension Plan.

As part of the Ontario Nurses' Association's vision and commitment to members' general well-being, we have highlighted various discount offers and promotions to our members from outside agencies. Click on this link to find out more about them.

Resources

There are many organizations that recruit volunteers to help out with their activities and campaigns. You may wish to become involved in organizations that can make a positive difference in retirees' day-to-day living. Check out these links: 

The Congress of Union Retirees of Canada (CURC) has lobbied governments at all levels to advance the concerns of seniors and union retirees on the issues of pensions and pharmacare.

Check out the federal government's list of seniors' services including information about health and housing, benefits and safety issues.
 
Visit the government of Ontario's seniors' secretariat website to find out about opportunities on volunteering, benefits, activites and much more.

The federal government's Service Canada Retirement Planning website provides plenty of resources and checklists to make sure you're financially ready for retirement. Also, check out the government's handy tool, track your estimated government benefits calculator.

Once again, congratulations! If you have any questions, please e-mail webmaster@ona.org.