1

Standing Committee on Albertas Economic Future PUBLIC MEETING:

Edmonton June 16, 2014 Committee Room A 4th Floor, Legislature
Annex BILL 9 and BILL 10 (Pension Reform)

Thank you for the one and only opportunity, which has been
afforded to me as a member of the PSPP to provide my input
on proposed retirement changes that would impact, not only
me, but my family for the rest of our lives.

I am a social worker, working in child intervention; a high stress
job in government working to protect some of Albertas most
vulnerable. I often work in poor conditions, high workload,
high stress, low support environments. I cant even begin to
tell you the extremely sordid real life stories I am forced to
experience on the job, stories that you could never come up
with in your darkest imagination.

I might be a paid employee of the government of Alberta, but
as my wife would tell you my job costs me much more, well
beyond my normal weekly working hours and yet I and my
fellow colleague have taken up the challenge on behalf of
Albertas children and their families -- we solder on.
2

The true definition of public service is in our blood, we could
choose different jobs for ourselves, where the money is better,
where the conditions dont take such a toll, but we cant let go
of our sense of duty, our responsibility, to carry out our very
necessary work.

One important consideration that has helped ease the sting of
the job and the personal cost to our physical and mental health
has been our retirement and yet Bill 9 takes this away from
us.

Our occupation is not nearly as high profile as police,
ambulance, or firefighters, who appear to have the sympathies
of decision makers, and may continue to enjoy early
retirement, however let me point out to this committee that
some frontline workers are also exposed to ongoing trauma,
but unlike our high profile friends, in my line of work we can be
continually exposed to the ongoing trauma of others and have
to work with them in some cases for years to come.

We deserve the option, which not all of us use, of early
retirement to provide a light at the end of the tunnel after
years of this kind of work.
3


Dont kill early retirement, at least give us younger folks a
chance to enjoy some of the benefits that those senior to us
have enjoyed, not to do so is an insult to the younger
generation, a legacy where we are leaving less for them than
we have been able to enjoy ourselves.

Make no mistake proceeding with Bill 9 will kill the last
remaining incentive that keeps long serving employees in place,
with their broad institutional memory that helps get the job
done, experience that could never be captured or replicated in
a manual or software package.

With that I welcome any questions this committee may have.

Thank You

http://www.assembly.ab.ca/committees/abeconomicfuture/in
dex.html