RMG Vancouver Chapter Minutes - September 26, 2019

Retired Members Guild - Vancouver Chapter

Meeting Minutes (Draft)

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Earl’s Restaurant, 6070 Silver Dr., Burnaby, BC V5H 0H5

Executives Present

Raj Utkhede  (President)

Tom Chang  (Vice-President)

Wayne Wynn  (Secretary)

Geoff Kendell (Member at Large)

Guests

Don Burns, National RMG Member for BC

Ted Molyneaux, PIPSC Vancouver Branch President

Jenny Kwan (Federal NDP candidate)

Gabriel Yu (Jenny’s manager)

Other Members

13 additional general retired members present (Total attendance: 21)

Action Item

DISCUSSION / NOTES

Call to Order/

Opening remarks

Meeting called to order at 12:32 pm. Opening remarks by Raj. This is a special meeting focused on issues relevant to PIPSC members and retirees in the upcoming federal election. The NDP, Liberals and Green Party were invited; only the NDP were in attendance. Thanks to Don Burns and the National RMG Executive for funding this special meeting.

Introduction of Jenny Kwan

Tom Chang introduced Jenny Kwan, giving a brief history of her impressive political career at the municipal, provincial and federal levels.

Jenny Kwan, NDP Candidate

The NDP would do the following:

• Move all or part of Pharmacare and dental to MSP
• Increase home care support
• Treat drug addiction as a health problem
• Increase support for social housing
• Roll income-tested financial support such as OAS/GIS and CPP into one, and increase the total for lower income families
• Bring in legislation to protect workers’ pensions when companies go bankrupt
• Aggressively implement climate change policy for a greener and cleaner environment (Climate Change Accountability Act). They are against the current pipeline proposal as the crude oil goes to the US and the refined product is sold back to us.
• Take stronger steps to counter money laundering.
• End tax havens and “corporate welfare”.

Member questions for candidates

Members asked questions on issues such as CPP, the Bill on company bankruptcies, tax havens, drug prices, and the pipeline. Jenny’s responses are included in the summary above.

Don Burns -

Report on National RMG

Report on activities of the RMG National Executive:

• Funding to help Vancouver Island chapter with outreach
• 3 meetings with political candidates in the NCR
• Motion to have Chapter presidents attend National AGM has been rejected by PIPSC Board of Directors.
• $1,000 contributed to legacy fund for a scholarship
• Work ongoing re travel insurance, especially in comparing Service Plus with Medoc. One difference: pre-conditions apply to the Service Plus plan.
• Don is working on getting retired members to be allowed on the bargaining committee.

Ted Molyneaux –

PIPSC Vancouver Branch

• Events held: Regional Council, Labour Day demonstration
• At long last, they have a storage locker for the PIPSC tent
• Retired members make up 1/3 of the executive
• AGM upcoming, probably November 25 at the Holiday Inn, downtown.

Election strategy

Raj confirmed the national PIPSC policy that we should actively support candidates that will make a difference to PIPSC members. However, PIPSC does not specify any particular party as this must be the choice of each individual member. There was opportunity for members to comment. Two minor comments made.

Adjournment

Meeting adjourned at 2:25 PM.