Part 1: Introduction to Municipal Employees Benefit Program (MEBP)

Welcome to the MEBP Employer Administration Manual

The Manitoba Municipal Employees Benefit Program is a multi-employer benefit plan with over 220 participating employers and more than 13,200 current and former members. As a participating employer, you play a vital role in the administration of the Plan on behalf of your employees.

The information in this manual is assembled according to events that will require employer action.

All employers are required to participate in the Municipal Employees Pension Plan. If a Participation Agreement for either the Group Insurance or Disability Income parts of the Program have not been submitted and approved by the MEBP Board of Trustees, participation by employees is not allowed. Therefore, any reference to those particular benefits must be ignored. An employer can request to join the additional part(s) of the program by contacting the MEBP Administration Office.

In the manual, words in singular include the plural and vice versa where the context so requires. The representative of a participating municipal employer who is responsible for handling the administration of the Program has been referred to as "you" or "the employer" throughout the manual. This may include a municipal administrator, personnel manager, payroll officer, chief administrative officer or the secretary or secretary-treasurer of a board, commission, district, centre or other participating quasi-municipal employer.

History of MEBP

The Municipal Employees Benefits Program (MEBP or 'The Program') began on January 1, 1977. At that time, the Program consisted of a pension plan and a group insurance plan. On June 1, 1981 the Program was expanded to include a long term disability plan (now the Disability Income Plan).