Board committees

BC's Municipal Pension Board of Trustees has several committees that make recommendations to the board on issues that affect the plan.

The committees, made up of members of BC's Municipal Pension Board of Trustees, include:

Benefits, communications and advocacy
Appeals panel
Governance
Investment
Valuation
Interplan audit
Other interplan committees

Benefits, communications and advocacy

This committee:

Reviews the plan rules and makes recommendations for changes as required
Approves an annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) as prescribed in section 73 of the plan rules, subject to the Sustainable COLA provisions of the Funding Policy
Approves new employer applications and employer withdrawal or modification of participation applications that are consistent with the board’s policy
Coordinates the planning and development of annual general meetings
Reviews communications materials produced for stakeholders, plan members and the public
Approves certain communications and advocacy materials
Develops and recommends strategies, materials and resources to educate stakeholders, employers and plan members
Develops presentations that enable trustees and stakeholders to act as effective advocates for the plan and support the plan's advocacy initiatives

Appeals panel

The appeals panel was established as per the plan's Joint Trust Agreement and has full jurisdiction to consider, confirm or reverse all appeals. Its role is to determine whether BC Pension Corporation, the plan's administrative agent, has applied the plan rules correctly. The panel does not have the authority to change the plan rules.

Governance

This committee:

Ensures the board has up-to-date governance policies and procedures, including confidentiality, conflict of interest, trustee orientation and continuing education, performance, self-assessment, risk management and strategic planning
Monitors budgets, contracts, performance assessments and service agreements with major service providers
Coordinates the nominations for board chair, vice-chair, appeals panel and board committees

Investment

This committee:

Reviews and makes recommendations to the board about the plan's Statement of Investment Policies and Procedures, which sets the overall direction for plan investments
Coordinates periodic asset allocation studies
Monitors the performance and oversees the activities of the plan’s investment agent, BCI, with respect to responsible investment matters covering environmental, social and governance issues

In addition to eight appointed trustees, up to two non-trustees with institutional investment industry expertise sit as voting members of the investment committee.

Derek Brodersen is a corporate director and former chief investment officer of the Alberta Teachers' Retirement Fund Board. He is an advisor to pension and investment organizations and a member of other boards and committees.

Jill Pepall is a former executive vice president and chief investment officer at Ontario Pension Board and the successor company Investment Management Corporation of Ontario – a shared service provider similar in nature to BCI – and serves on other boards and investment committees.

Valuation

This committee:

Develops, reviews and recommends revisions to the plan funding policy
Works with the plan actuary to coordinate the setting of assumptions for actuarial valuations and reviews the valuation results to determine and recommend changes to contribution rates, if required
Develops, reviews and makes recommendations to the board about how to make cost-of-living adjustments sustainable over the long term

Interplan audit

Made up of representatives from the College, Municipal, Public Service and Teachers’ pension boards of trustees, this committee:

Monitors and reports to the boards about the compliance of financial statements to generally accepted accounting principles
Recommends and monitors the performance of an independent auditor
Identifies, monitors and reports to the pension plan boards on the management of the principal risks that could impact the financial reporting of the pension plans