Under the Collective Agreement between The Corporation of the City of Scarborough and The Scarborough Professional Fire Fighters’ Association Local 626, Article 1203 stipulated that “The Corporation shall provide a paid-up life insurance policy of three thousand dollars($3,000.00) for employees retiring on pension”.
Please be aware that this policy is still in effect, however, it should be noted that the amount will differ depending on when the individual retired (see below).
As noted above former Scarborough Firefighters have a paid Life insurance policy. Through recent discussions with the City of Toronto, it seems that this Insurance policy was originally negotiated around 1985 for $1000.00, again around 1988/89, and then again around 1992. Each time the amount was increased until it reached the $3000.00 noted in Article 1203 found in the 1992 Collective Agreement, I happen to have.
The unfortunate part is that each time the amount was negotiated higher it was not retroactive for those who had already retired. Also, each re-negotiation appears to have a different Insurance provider. So the amount your estate will receive is dependent on the date of retirement. The policies should be SunLife (#5981), CanadaLife (#321518), and Manulife (#39884?).
As John Barker advised us in the original post on this issue, it is not easy to correspond with the City on this issue, as time passes records are harder to access and fewer employees seem to be aware of the policy’s existence. The best thing you can do for yourself and/or your estate is contact the City of Toronto and get a copy of the acknowledgment of the policy that applies to you. They will most likely ask for your employee/payroll number. If you retired prior to amalgamation don’t be surprised if they tell you your old four-digit employee/payroll number is not correct – they may have to delve into the legacy archives to find you!
I have been advised that all correspondence must go through TEAM CENTRAL these days. You can contact them by phone at 416-338-0016 (8:30 – 5:00) or use this form – TEAM Central Online Form – TEAM (Toronto Employee and Manager) Central
I recently used the form and they got back to me in a few days – better than waiting on hold and getting someone who may or may not know what you are talking about. Be prepared to give them as much information as you can.
Note – Ideally the person(s) you want to speak with are still Stephanie Caines or Jason Lee, they seem to have a good knowledge of this insurance.
If you have not recently done so updating your estate plan would be a good idea.
Fraternally,
Chuck West
Also see Life Insurance, Article 1203 / Memorial Grant Program for First Responders