Active Member FAQ

Spouse refers to the person who is married to the Plan member or former Plan member.

Common-law partner refers to:

A person who is in a registered common-law relationship with the Plan member or former Plan member under section 13.1 of The Vital Statistics Act, or

A person who is not married to the Plan member or former Plan member but has lived with the Plan member, or former member in a conjugal relationship for a period of:

• At least three years, if either of them is married, or
• At least one year, if neither of them is married.

At termination or retirement, you have the option of postponing or delaying the receipt of your pension benefit payment until a later date.

If you have a spouse/common-law partner, they are automatically the sole beneficiary of your pension plan entitlement unless the required spousal WAIVER OF PRE-RETIREMENT DEATH BENEFIT (Form 26) is completed.

If you are single, or the spousal waiver form has been completed, you can name anyone you choose as your pension plan beneficiary

Your MEBP ID number will appear on your Annual Pension Statement you receive each June. Or, you may contact MEBP and we will provide you with your MEBP ID number.

You will need your MEBP ID number along with a password to be able to log on to the on-line calculator. You will find your MEBP ID number on your Annual Pension Statement or you may contact MEBP and we will provide you with your MEBP ID number.

If you have not already used the Online Pension Calculator, do not have password or cannot remember your password, please contact our office:

email: portal@coughlin.ca

Locally: (204) 942-4438 (ask for the Claims Department, ext. 8996)

Toll-Free: 1 (888) 204-1234 (ask for the Claims Department, ext. 8996)

You have to be an Active pension plan member with at least 1 year of pensionable earnings and service remitted to the Plan in order to use the Online Pension Calculator.

If you are newly enrolled in the Plan, you will not be able to produce and estimate on the online calculator until after you have received your first annual pension statement. You will not be able to run an estimate if you are a terminated, deferred or retired member. If this is the situation, please feel free to contact our office to request that an estimate be mailed to you.

You will need to submit the appropriate Change of Information form to the MEBP office. These forms can be printed directly from this website, you may request them from the MEBP office or directly from your Employer.

You will find a detail summary of the Municipal Employees Benefit Program in the Benefits Booklet, or feel free to contact the MEBP office.

If death occurs prior to retirement, a death benefit will be calculated as at the date of death. The death benefit is based on the amount of pension benefit earnings at the date of death. If you were living with a spouse or common-law partner at the date of death, your spouse or common-law partner is eligible to receive the death benefit, unless the spouse or common-law partner has waived his/her entitlement to the benefit. If you do not have a spouse or common-law partner at the date of death, the death benefit will be paid to your named beneficiary or to your Estate, if no beneficiary is named.

If you and your partner (married or common-law) have separated, it is important to contact MEBP for information on how your pension is affected. A delay in settling your relationship breakdown can delay the payment of any termination, retirement or death benefits.

MEBP requires a completed RELATIONSHIP BREAKDOWN DATA SHEET (Form 34).  Upon receipt of this form, MEBP will provide you with a statement showing the value of the pension benefit earned during the period of your relationship.  This statement will also provide you with payment options and instructions for how to proceed.

Your pension is a family asset.  If you experience a spousal relationship breakdown, the pension you accrued during the period of your relationship will be taken into account when your family assets are divided.  The Pension Benefits Act of Manitoba states that the pension benefit must be divided, if there is:

·         a court order under The Family Property Act requiring the division of family property, or

·         a written agreement between you and your spouse, former spouse or partner about the division of family assets, or

·         a court order from another Canadian jurisdiction requiring the division of pension benefits, or 

·         an order of the Court of King's Bench requiring the division of pension benefits.

If you have a separation agreement, court order or other documents relating to your relationship breakdown, we request that you forward copies to us as soon as possible. We require a copy of them before any payment can be made.

 

If your separation date is prior to October 1, 2021, the available options include not dividing the pension, dividing 50% of the pension, or potentially dividing the net difference between your and your former partner's pension values.

 

If your separation date is on or after October 1, 2021, there is additional flexibility as you and your former partner may decide to not divide the pension or specify the percentage to be divided, up to a maximum of 50%.

 

 Before agreeing to a division of less than 50% of the value of the pension, your former partner should seek legal advice with respect to their family law entitlements and financial advice as to the implications of agreeing to receive less than a 50% share of the pension.