​ATRF is proud to have been selected as one of Alberta's Top 75 Employers for 2020. This is the fourth consecutive year the organization has been recognized as an employer that leads their industry in offering an exceptional workplace for employees.

Due to scheduled maintenance, the ATRF website, and MyPension online services will not be accessible between 7:30 am and 12:00 pm on Saturday, February 22, 2020.  We apologize for any inconvenience.

If you've had a chance to read the 2018-19 Annual Report or highlights, you may have noticed that the ATRF Board was able to reduce the contribution rates for both the Teachers' Pension Plan (TPP) and Private School Teachers' Pension Plan (PSTPP). For the TPP, contributions will be reduced by 1% of teachers' salaries and for the PSTPP, 0.54%. This reduction will take effect September 1, 2020.

​ATRF is building on a solid foundation of high-quality member services and exceptional returns. 

Inside this year's annual report:

• Further reductions to contribution rates as a result of a strong investment returns, prudent planning and sound pension management (pg. 35)

• ATRF's commitment to strong investment returns while maintaining stable funding (pg. 41, 49)

• Important messages from our Board chair (pg. 9) and CEO (pg. 13)

• An increase to the funded status of the Teachers' Pension Plan (pg. 34)

• Continuous improvements to the way we provide services to members through Project Lantern (pg. 28)

• An overview of our most interesting investments this year (pg. 46-47)
  

Only have a few minutes? Take a look at our annual report highlights—a condensed version of the annual report that will highlight what ATRF has accomplished this year. Happy reading!

​ATRF Has Begun Mailing Statements for the Year Ending August 31, 2019

Once employers have completed reporting for the school year, ATRF prepares and mails out Annual Plan Member Statements to the applicable teachers. The first run of statements, for the year ending August 31, 2019, were mailed out on December 19, 2019 and other mailings will go out between now and March, 2020. Go to this web page to view the statement mailing dates.

​The December issue of the Pension Points newsletter is now available! Check your email inbox for the full version. If you missed it, you can click here to view the articles. If you're not on our email list, make sure you sign up on  MyPension or contact member@atrf.com.

​​​Your monthly contribution to the Plan is integrated with your contribution to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and takes the YMPE into consideration. The YMPE is the year's maximum pensionable earnings covered by the CPP. The YMPE for 2020 is $58,700. The Defined Benefit limit set by Canada Revenue Agency is $3,092.22 in 2020; therefore, the maximum pensionable salary will be $172,221 for 2020.

​On November 18, 2019, the Government of Alberta introduced Bill 22, Reform of Agencies, Boards and Commissions and Government Enterprises Act, 2019. It is an 'omnibus' Bill that includes changes in several different areas that passed third and final reading in the Legislature on November 21, 2019, and received Royal Assent and became law on November 22, 2019.

​The ATRF has filed a formal request under Sections 20 and 29 of the Auditor General Act for Alberta’s Auditor General to assess the proposed transfer of ATRF's asset management to AIMCo.

​The ATRF Board Chair has issued a second request to Alberta’s Minister of Finance for government to have the Auditor General perform a review to determine if AIMCo is better able to perform the pension management responsibilities currently performed by ATRF...

(November 7, 2019) The ATRF Board Chair, Sandra Johnston, has sent a follow-up letter to President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance, Travis Toews. The letter provides some information regarding net asset return comparisons between ATRF and AIMCo, and speaks to the benefits our members receive from ATRF as a pension manager.

The letter also suggests a neutral, third-party be asked to review the data and consider both options to ensure ATRF members are getting the optimal management of their pension plan. Ms. Johnston proposes Alberta's Auditor General, who is already familiar with the operations of the ATRF and AIMCo, undertake this review. 

(November 1, 2019) With the Government of Alberta's announcement in the budget that the Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo) would be the exclusive manager of ATRF pension funds, there has been a lot of public comment about ATRF and how we invest teachers' pension funds.

ATRF is committed to transparency and open communication. This fact sheet includes facts about the ATRF as a pension manager, our costs and returns and information about the fiduciary duties of the Board.

If you have any questions or comments regarding the Alberta government's budget announcement, please direct them to either the Government of Alberta Treasury Board and Finance, your MLA or the Alberta Teachers' Association.

(October 30, 2019) Shared here is a letter sent to the President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance, Travis Toews, from the ATRF Board Chair, Sandra Johnston, on behalf of the ATRF Board. The letter expresses the ATRF Board's deep concerns with the Government of Alberta's recent Provincial Budget announcement regarding the proposed transfer of ATRF funds to the Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo) for management.  

(October 26, 2019) ​The Government of Alberta released the 2019 Provincial Budget on Thursday, October 24. The budget indicated that Alberta Teachers' Retirement Fund Board was "expected to transfer funds to Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo) for management."