Pension Advocacy
OMERS Pension Advocacy for City of Toronto Employees
COTAPSA actively monitors OMERS activities and advocates for improved governance, transparency, and accountability on behalf of non-union City of Toronto employees.
Advocating for Representation
COTAPSA has been a strong advocate for non-union employee representation on the OMERS Sponsors Corporation, the body responsible for determining contribution rates and retirement benefits. We believe that all contributors to the OMERS pension plan deserve a voice in its governance and decision-making processes.
More than 63,000 management and non-union active members make up 22% of the OMERS Plan membership, yet have no representation at the OMERS table. We raise our concerns in writing with the OMERS Administration and Sponsors boards, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA), the Ontario government and City Council, and work with other OMERS stakeholders.
Why OMERS Governance Matters to You
OMERS, the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, is the pension plan for City of Toronto employees, including non-union and management staff. The decisions made at the OMERS table shape the contributions you make from every pay and the retirement benefits you receive. Unionized members have long had a seat at that table through their unions. Management and non-union members, nearly one in four OMERS members, have not.
That is why OMERS pension advocacy is a core part of COTAPSA's work. For years we have written to OMERS, its boards, the regulator and the Province on board composition, executive compensation, investment performance and plan governance. Every letter and every response is published below, so members can see exactly what we have asked for and what we were told.
What Changed in 2025
After years of COTAPSA lobbying, the Province's 2025 review of OMERS will dissolve the Sponsors Corporation and add an observer seat for non-union and management members, appointed with AMCTO and OMHRA. It is the first time this group of OMERS members will have a presence in the plan's governance. Read the details in our November 2025 bulletin on the OMERS provincial review (PDF), and see our other results on the COTAPSA In Action page.
OMERS Correspondence
Our letters to OMERS, regulators and the Province, and the responses we received, newest first.
85 documents, newest first
Planning for retirement?
Our document library also holds the City's management and non-union retiree benefit summaries, member bulletins and City HR policies, all in one searchable place.