Halifax city employees voice concern over closed-door pension meetings

HALIFAX – Tuesday’s Halifax Regional Council meeting was at full capacity as public sector union members flooded into city hall to decry behind-door meetings about their public pension plan.

The group of municipal employees, which included police officers, firefighters and transit drivers, said they were concerned about two recent in-camera meetings held by council.

“A lot of the unions and the folks that are represented and on that pension plan are really truly concerned as to what is the agenda,” said Staff Sgt. Mark Hartlen, president of the Halifax Regional Police Association.

Protesters were also concerned about who was invited into those meetings.

“I can tell you that the HRM Pension Committee and the Pension Plan Office have not been involved in the meetings although we are aware of them,” said Scott MacDonald, the pension committee co-chair.

Dozens of protesters made their way into city hall – many wearing union t-shirts. Once the gallery in the council chambers was filled, people sat in an overflow room downstairs and watched the meeting on a television.

The issue of pensions was not on the regional council agenda, but the Mayor Mike Savage did address the issue with reporters.

He said there are no imminent changes to pensions, but the topic was brought up as part of overall budgetary discussions.

“I think all levels of government want to be fair to their employees but also to taxpayers and over the next number of years I’m sure it’ll be a negotiating factor,” Savage said.

“We have signed agreements with our public sector unions which we will abide by and we’ll always have first-class pension in the City of Halifax.”