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Eligibility
The current rules of the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan will only provide a survivor benefit to a spouse who was married to the pension plan member prior to the date of their retirement.
That means that if a pensioner chooses to marry or remarry during retirement, that spouse will not be entitled to survivor benefits unless the pensioner takes a substantial - and permanent - pension reduction. These reductions can be worth thousands of dollars per year.
But regardless of when a pensioner chooses to marry, all members of the Plan made pension contributions from their salaries. Some learn too late that these contributions are not treated equally.
The Ontario Teachers' Survivor Benefit Group believes that equal contributions made during a career of teaching deserve equal benefits.