Many Nations News - Many Nations Financial Services

Many Nations News
Your Pension, Insurance, and Investment News Source
Fall/Winter 2009 Issue
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• Health Information and Claims
Saving Our Clients Money!
Benefits Questions & Answers • EI Premium Reduction Program
Texting & Driving - Is it Worth It?
Benefit Administrator Seminar
Meet Bruce Daniels
Many Nations Financial Services Ltd.
. Many Nations Co-operative Ltd.
Saving Our Clients Money!
Each year when your organization’s Group Benefits come up for renewal, our
Renewal Department works diligently to bring those rates or increases down.
In 2009, Many Nations negotiated rate reductions for Group Benefits in the
amount of $235,211.69 for all our Members across Canada.
“The strength of
Many Nations protecting our
future”
Benefits Questions & Answers
Welcome to our Question and Answer section regarding employee benefits.
Q: What is the process when going on Maternity/Paternity Leave?
A: Group benefits may7 be able to be continued while off on maternity/paternity leave. There are provincial regulations that must be followed in addition to
the group benefit plan design. If an employee is eligible to continue benefits,
the addition of a newborn dependent MAY NEED to be reported within 31 days
of thier birth. Paperwork should be provided to the employee prior to them going on leave.
Q: Is it necessary for my group benefits provider to be notified when I
receive a salary increase?
Our Mission:
“We will assit our
customers and Members
in achieving the best
possible solutions for
thier needs in pensions,
employee benefits,
insurance, retirement
planning, and risk
management.”
A: Yes, your salary is what determines your Life insurance benefit amount,
Accidental death and dismemberment benefit and how much money you would
receive if you were to go on short term or long term disability.
Q: When I get married, do I need to notify my group benefits provider?
A: Yes, you will need to notify your plan administrator immediately. They in
turn will give you the appropriate change form to update your records. If you
were single previously, you would need to have your benefits updated to family
coverage, possibly change your name and add your spouse to the group benefits plan. Potentially you may be adding your spouse’s children as well. This
needs to be reported within 31 days of the date of change.
Texting & Driving - Is It Worth It?
“I do not think the measure of a
civilization is how tall its buildings
of concrete are, but rather how
well its people have learned to
relate to their environment and
fellow man.”
- Sun Bear of the
Chippewa Tribe
Many Nations Statistics
• Nationwide representation
• 300 First Nation
organizations
• $92M in pension assets
• Over 7,000 pension plan
members
• Regular on-site service
Doing two things at once isn’t such a big deal. We do it all the time - walking and talking, jogging and listening to music, or singing and dancing.
However, driving requires you to do more than two things at once - steering, braking, shifting gears and watching for traffic all occur at the same
time. When you add distractions like eating, grooming, talking on a cell,
or texting, the results can be disastrous. Drivers should devote thier full
attention to driving.
Some of the most common driving distractions include persons, objects
or events outside the vehicle, distraction from passengers, looking or at
something in the vehicle, adjusting radio or stereo, climate or vehicle
controls, smoking, eating or drinking. With the growth in the cell phone
industry, talking and texting on the phone while driving has become a
safety concern, especially for teen drivers.
Over 50% of teens admited to text messaging while driving, an alarming statistic that now rivals drinking and driving in terms of danger and
prevalance. In 2007, driving distractions, such as using a cell phone or
text messaging, contributed to nearly 1,000 crashes involving 16 - 17
year olds. In 2008, in Saskatchewan, there were 2,047 casualty collisions where driver inattention or distraction was listed as a contributing
factor. These collisions resulted in 49 fatalities and 2,797 injuries. These
statistics are just for Saskatchewan, the overall Canadian statistics are
much higher.
To ensure a safe drive, here are a few tips to remember when using a cellular phone in your vehicle:
Head Office
300 Edson Street
Saskatoon, SK; S7J 0P9
Phone: Fax:
Toll Free:
E-mail:
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(306) 956-4669
(306) 956-4664
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(800) 667-7830
[email protected] •
Vist us at: www.manynations.com
Use a hands-free unit.
Become familiar with your phone and its features before you start
driving.
Don’t dial while driving - instead, wait until you are at a red light or
pull off the road.
Never look up phone numbers or text while driving.
As often as possible, pull over to a safe spot on the roadside to use
your phone.
Information provided by Saskatchewan
Government Insurance (SGI).
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Benefit Administrator Seminar
The first annual Many Nations Benefit Administrator’s Seminar was held in Las
Vegas, Nevada on September 17th and 18th 2009. The purpose of the Many
Nations Seminar was to provide our administrators with training and relevant
information to assist them in their daily tasks.
Many Nations would like to thank the administrators and representatives from
the following First Nations for joining us in Las Vegas!
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Kwakiutl District Council Health, BC Kwakiutl District Council, BC
Campbell River Indian Band, BC SJ Irvine Fine Foods, Saskatoon, SK
Toosey First Nation, BC Kahkewistahaw First Nation, AB
Dene Tha First Nation, AB BTC Indian Health Services, SK
Lytton First Nation, BC First Nations University of Canada, SK
Nlha’7kapmx Child and Family, BC Little Red River Cree Nation, AB
Okanese First Nation, AB Squamish First Nation, BC
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Please be sure
to visit us at the
following National
Conference:
AFOA
(Aboriginal Financial
Officers Association)
National Conference
March 2 - 4, 2010
Ottawa, ON.
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The seminar was conducted in two half day sessions so that everyone could benefit from the information
being provided, as well as having an opportunity to enjoy the sights and sounds of lovely Las Vegas!
Topics covered at the 2009 seminar included:
What’s Driving Benefit Plan Costs and Increases – by Randy Lewis of Lewis Consulting
Many Nations Pension Partner, Industrial Alliance – by Catherine MacDonald of Industrial Alliance
The Many Nations Pension Committee – by Toby Baker of the Many Nations Pension Committee
How to Prepare for a Healthy Retirement – by Dan Conway of Many Nations
The Many Nations Co-operative – by Joe Carter, Chairman, Many Nations Co-operative Ltd.
Long Term Care and Critical Illness - by Cheryl Rixon, RBC Insurance
Keeping up with Paperwork - by Judy Liland, President of Many Nations
The Power of Intention – by Terrie Conway, University of Victoria
The next Many Nations Benefit Administrator’s Seminar will be held
in Las Vegas on September 16th and 17th, 2010.
All Many Nations members are invited to join us!
Watch for upcoming information on our website.
www.manynations.com
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Meet Bruce Daniels
Bruce, who was born in Nanaimo, BC, grew up in Humboldt, Saskatchewan. He obtained his Bachelor of Education at the University of Saskatchewan after which he
taught in Melfort, Humboldt, Saskatoon and Calgary.
Many Nations
Regional
Representatives
British Columbia:
Denis Aubrey
Dan Conway
Graham Cope
Bruce Daniels
Brian Michnik
Randy Potskin
Alberta:
Bruce Daniels
Dwayne Fedoriuk
Larry Hackel
Troy Madsen
James Malec
Saskatchewan:
Dwayne Fedoriuk
Larry Hackel
James Malec
Eric Shearer
After several years in Real Estate sales and management, Bruce returned to his chosen career in Education
obtaining his M.EdAdm. from the University of Victoria
and moving into High School Administration. Bruce’s
career took him to Kitimat and Terrrace in Northern BC
then to Alberta where he was Principal of K-12 schools in Irma and Grassland.
On a personal note, Bruce has children in Alberta and other close relatives in BC
and Saskatchewan. He, who, with his wife, Joan, makes his home in Camrose,
Alberta is pleased to be renewing his First Nations’ contacts in BC, Alberta and
Saskatchewan while representing Many Nations Financial Services.
Health Information and Claims
Effective December 1, 2009, ESI Canada will be administering the Health Information and Claims Processing Services for Medical Supplies & Equipment
(MS&E) benefits covered by the NIHB Program. Providers can continue to submit claims to First Canadian Health (FCH) until November 30, 2009. Providers
need to register with ESI Canada by December 1, 2009 to avoid any interruptions of claims processing.
EI Premium Reduction Program
Jean Gaudry
If you provide short-term disability benefits for your employees, your organization may qualify to pay EI Insurance premiums at a reduced rate. To qualify for
the EI reduction your plan must :
Ontario:
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Manitoba:
Dean Botchar
Jean Gaudry
Atlantic Provimces:
Owen Dickie
Darrel Spencer
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Cover employees on a 24-hour-a-day basis,
Provide a minimum of 15 weeks benefits,
Be available to employees after 3 months of employment,
Equal or exceed benefits provided under EI.
Savings vary depending on your plan. EI Premium Reduction application forms
and further information are available at servicecanada.gc.ca
We want to hear from you!
Send us your comments, suggestions
an article, announcement or picture for
possible publication in our
Spring/Summer issue.
Let us know-
your ideas matter!
Disclaimer: This newsletter has been written by and produced by Many Nations.
This newsletter is copyrighted; its reproduction in whole or in part by any means
without written consent of the copyright owner is forbidden. The information and
opinions contained in this newsletter are obtained by various sources and believed
to be reliable, but thier accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Readers are urged to
obtain professional advice before acting on the basis of material contained in this
newsletter.
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