Representing 1,300 Manitoba Workers

Leave to Appeal Pension Decision Sought

The CEP Local 7 Executive, after seeking advice from its pension lawyer, has decided to join with IBEW, TEAM and the retirees in seeking leave to appeal the recent Manitoba Court of Appeal decision to the Supreme Court of Canada.

You will recall that the Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench had issued an award for approximately $100 million (in today's dollars )in favour of the members enrolled in the defined benefit plan, as a result of the company's actions surrounding privatization. In February, 2012, the Court of Appeal decided to overturn the decision of the Court of Queen's Bench.

A party wishing to be heard by Canada's highest court must first obtain permission to proceed from a panel of three judges of the Supreme Court. Such permission is granted only where the panel concludes the case involves a question of public importance or raises an important issue of law that warrants consideration by the Court. This leave to appeal process takes approximately six months before a determination will be made.

We will keep you informed about any new developments in the case by posting a bulletin in the workplace. If you would like to be informed via your home email, please email your address to the Local 7 office at president@cep7.ca. We would also encourage you to check this website regularly for upcoming news about the lawsuit as well as other union activities.

The Decision that's being appealed can be read here.