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© Copyright 2000 Rogers Media. The following article first appeared in the March 2000 edition of
BENEFITS CANADA magazine.
All together now
Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear CPBI.
Our coverage of dependence or Self-reliance: Which way for Canada's Retirement Income System?--the
report released in January by the Association of Canadian Pension Management (ACPM)--takes two forms this
month. Online editor Jeff Sanford penned the lead Industry piece. We also invited two ACPM representatives:
Gretchen Van Riesen, director of pension and benefits policy at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce in
Toronto, and Malcolm Hamilton, a principal with William M. Mercer Limited in Toronto, to join us in our
annual roundtable discussion.
The roundtable (see "The future of retirement,") explores many of the themes in the report. It was clear
during the discussion how valuable organizations like ACPM are to our industry, and indeed to the
development of social and economic policy.
The Canadian Pension and Benefits Institute (CPBI) is equally significant. CPBI is celebrating its 40th
anniversary this year. Originally known as the Canadian Pension Conference, it first met in Toronto on June
6, 1960.
That was something of a turning point for Canada's retirement system. Employer-sponsored pension plans were
coming of age, spurring the need for an association that professionals could count on for continuing
education and networking opportunities.
CPBI has filled those needs superbly. This year, members and non-members alike can take advantage of over
100 events--seminars, workshops, training programs and regional conferences across the country. More than
2,400 members count on CPBI to develop and execute its considerable calendar of events. The highlight of
that calendar is the Annual National Conference, scheduled for June 16 to 18 this year in Regina, Sask.
CPBI works, in large part, because of its grassroots support. The national organization counts on regional
councils in Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.
I have a certain bias when it comes to CPBI. I sit on the Ontario Regional Council, and chair the committee
that is presenting the Investment Fundamentals series of seminars this year.
I am genuinely impressed by the considerable talent that makes up these regional groups. These folks--all
of them key professionals in their organizations--dedicate an extraordinary amount of time and energy. It
is a pleasure to be associated with them.
CPBI's national office in Saint-Lambert, Que. is steered by executive director Louis-Joseph Régimbal.
Since 1995, he's played a key role in the continued development of CPBI.
Regional activity has boomed during his tenure. Each of the councils are doing a terrific job responding
directly to the needs of plan sponsors.
Meanwhile, Régimbal has been busy updating the association's technology. Its Web site
(www.cpbi-icra.ca) is becoming an important hub for the industry. They're working on a special
members-only section, due in time for June's National Conference. It's easy to forget that when
Régimbal joined in 1995, the office operated on a single 286 desktop computer.
We should all enjoy such progress.
--Kevin Press
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