Membership Benefits

CFBC members enjoy the opportunity to obtain extended health, medical and dental employee benefits through a plan specifically designed for CFBC members and access to specific variances from the BC Employment Standards Act. If you have any questions on these applications please contact the respective firm providing the service or the Executive Assistant (Tracey Gillespie).

1. Group Benefits
   Meritage Financial Group is providing CFBC members with group benefits for life and disability insurance and extended medical and dental benefits. The PDF file contains a two-page overview of the benefits offered to CFBC members. For additional information and rates, please contact Steve Edmison at phone 250-475-6050, fax 250-475-6052, toll free 1-800-487-4028, or email: steve@meritage.ca. Sirius Group Benefits - Jeff Seymour; phone 250-347-5308 ext. 258 - Extended Health and Disability Benefits.
2. Professional Liability Insurance
   HUB International Insurance Brokers (formerly Morris & Mackenzie Inc.) offers Errors and Omissions Insurance to Registered Forest Professionals. You will find information on Liability Insurance and an application form in PDF format. For more information, please contact Jordan Fellner at HUB International Insurance Brokers toll-free at 1-800-606-9969 or jordan.fellner@hubinternational.com.
3. Employment Standards Variance
   

   Throughout the late 1990's CFBC worked closely with a number of other interest groups (such as the WSCA) to secure a program of variances from the Employment Standards Act reflective of the specific demands of forestry field contractors. A new Employment Standards Amendment Act introduced by the new Liberal administration has received Royal Assent - the provisions of which lessen the impact of the Act on employers. CFBC will be involved in a series of meetings with Employment Standards personnel during the fall of 2002 to try to ensure that the amendment will have minimal impact on forestry consultant field operations. However, until a new procedure is in place sometime in October or November, the provisions of the old Act remain in force and variances are required.

   We have provided an example cover letter (Word Document or PDF) for the employment standards variance under the former Act, an employee form to complete (PDF), and the actual wording of the final variance (PDF). If you need to apply for a variance, please copy or complete the cover letter inserting relevant information where indicated. Please have your employees fill in the relevant information on the employee-listing sheet. Then send these signed forms and a complete list of current employees that are affected by the ESA variance to the address indicated in the cover letter. Please copy the package to CFBC Executive Assistant (executiveassistant@cfbc.bc.ca) so that the CFBC can address any questions arising from the application. If you have any questions please contact Tracey Gillespie.

4. Financial Planning
   

   Manulife Financial - Dave Field, RPF, CFP - phone 250-860-3411; Retirement and Investment Planning.