Rod's Story
Rod has been working at the Municipality of Meaford since 1988 in various roles in the Parks & Recreation department. He shares what it means to have a pension plan that supports his retirement dreams, as well as his family.
“I am extremely fortunate to have an OMERS pension plan. To know that if anything should happen to me, that my wife will be looked after with no hesitation makes me feel secure,” he says.
Spending time with my family is number one for me. My father gets pretty excited when there is a derby involved and pretty competitive, actually. I believe in hard work, and I lead by example. Right now, we're working on a new layout for our campgrounds. I started when I was 18 years old as a rink rat. Now, here I am Manager of Parks and Recreation for the Municipality of Meaford.
When I was 40 years old, I was diagnosed with a chronic illness: rheumatoid arthritis. I didn't know what was wrong with me. I was scared I was never going to walk again. I couldn't do the simple things in life. Finally, after I was diagnosed, they got me on some medication, and I was very straight up with my rheumatologist, and I said I need to know what this disease is going to do to me. Rod, he says, if you're willing to travel and everything else, I would recommend that you do it at a younger age.
I am extremely fortunate. I have an OMERS Pension Plan, and to know that, if anything should happen to me, that my wife immediately will be looked after with no hesitation. It makes me feel very secure. I still remember the day I got my job my mother telling me, "Rodney, if anything else in the world, you have this OMERS pension behind your name." And she says, "It will change your life." And, wow, my mom was right... it is going to change my life.
Number one on our list, as soon as I retire, is to head to the west coast and do some salmon fishing with my father. And, my wife and I will be heading to the east coast with our RV and do some camping. We're extremely excited about not having a day-to-day calendar that we have to live by. You're only here once on this Earth, so everybody should enjoy every day as much as they can.
Social Value of the Plan
The OMERS defined benefit plan isn’t just important to our members. Research confirms that the OMERS Plan generates social and economic value for communities in Ontario, underscoring the importance of preserving OMERS as a defined benefit pension plan.
