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“It is not a requirement to notify the ATRF of this change, and it is proposed until the appropriate legislation is tabled and passed in the Legislative Assembly.”

Photo by Greg Southam/Postmedia

On Saturday, Schilling said he met with local presidents of the association in a regular meeting. There, he said he heard concerns from them, adding he’s also heard from some teachers on the move.

Many, Schilling said, are unsure of what happens next.

“I’ve heard from teachers and there’s a lot of confusion and some uncertainty,” he said, adding he understands the province was bringing forth some form of enabling legislation this week. “We know the decision is to move the management of the funds … beyond what the impact of what that looks like will be forthcoming in the legislation. We have to wait and see.”

But the teachers aren’t the only ones affected by the move.

Photo by Codie McLachlan/Postmedia

United Nurses of Alberta President Heather Smith says $45-billion in pension assets for the Local Authorities Pension Plan has been affected.

The Worker’s Compensation Board pensions, too, will be affected.

Smith said they weren’t consulted on the move either, and that they had only recently got control over their pension in March — nearly 28 years after she says it was initially promised.

“It was a real shock,” said Smith. “They’re basically undoing what was done by the (NDP Rachel) Notley government, which was giving us governance over our plan.

“In 1992, the government of the day promised us governance of the plan. That promise was not fulfilled until the Notley government gave us independence … and we got that independence on March 1 of this year. It was almost 28 years in getting the promise of the day fulfilled, and this government, almost within months, undoes it.”

Part of that was the group still needed to use the management corporation for another five years, Smith added. But much like Schilling, she said the nurses weren’t consulted in advance of the move.

zlaing@postmedia.com

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