Improvements to continuing education and long-term disability plans

Bishop Phillip Poole, chairman of the Anglican Church of Canada’s pension committee, introduced resolutions on the church’s pension and continuing education plans. The five resolutions, recommended by the trustees, were previously presented to the pension committee and the Council of General Synod.

“Most of the changes relate to compliance with changes in provincial pension law, and some are housekeeping details,” said Poole, of the diocese of Toronto. The plans are domiciled in Ontario. All the resolutions, A180 through A184, were carried.

Resolution A180 concerns an application to register the church’s continuing education plan as a charitable organization to ensure that funds disbursed to recipients will have tax-free status.

Resolution A184 involves an amendment to address the large unfunded liability in the church’s pre-2005 long-term disability plan. It allows for the purchase of an insurance product to cover the liability, and for a church administrator to work with the insurance carrier to manage claimants.

Bishop Poole expressed gratitude to the trustees and to Judy Robinson, director of pensions.