Thread by @yomeeks

This is your daily pension announcement. The "Minister of Finance Travis Toews declined an on-camera interview request for this story" edition. Yes, you read that right Travis declined @TimmCTV's request for an interview on pensions. #Handsoffmypension #decline #AbLeg #abed

Travis has declined every interview related to pensions since this began. He has made one (misleading) Facebook post, written one Op-Ed and referred all questions to a spokesperson. He has never faced questions. #noquestions #noquestionsiamchicken #diedown

I believe that this is a further abrogation of our democracy. Ministers of the Crown need to make themselves reasonably available to the press to answer questions of public importance. Not so much with Travis. #pissondemocracy

To be clear, he is employing a long understood PR technique: wait for it to die down. If he just keeps his trap shut then the negative news cycle will eventually move on from this issue. #notsofast I have heard that he talks off the record but never on (with the press).

This is just another indication of how he does not understand the scope and depth of what he has done. This issue will surround him for the remainder of his term. Debate this portion of Bill 22 for 20 min inside the Leg and take no questions outside. #publicissue

Our precious democracy is being compromised. Please continue to meet with your MLAs. They are the ones that will be held accountable for this needless shell game. Back-benchers are taking these concerns seriously.

If you do run into Travis or Kevin please do ask some questions:
1. Why did AIMCO write a business case that was a clear conflict of interest?
2. Why has so little information been provided on a decision that stands to cost taxpayers $160 million per year?

3. Why do you insist that ATRF costs of 84 bps will come down by 25 bps when they are already going to come down to 63 bps as a result of recent changes at ATRF?
4. Why did you use 1 year costs but 10 year return for comparison?

5. Are you aware that the long term investment costs at ATRF are only a couple of BPS higher than LAPP's?
6. Why did you send out the "economies of scale" business case with an ON report that warns of the dis-economies of scale in funds above $90 billion? #hugeconflict

7. Why do you cite research about small funds being amalgamated for efficiency, but you do not acknowledge that ATRF is a large fund by industry definition?

(This is a central problem here, ATRF is a smaller fund than AIMCO but compared to the industry it is large,)

(So the ability for Travis and Athana to sow confusion with these words is huge. )

8. Who is this Peter guy from BC that signed off on the business case? How much was he paid? #conflictofinterest

9. Why do you continue to insist $41 million of investment administration savings when ATRF only spent $28 million on investment admin last year?

10. Why are you insisting contribution rates will go down for ATRF as a result of this change when they are already headed that way?

11. Why do you and Kevin both deny the ability of Treasury Board to issue "directives" to AIMCO even though it is right in the legislation?

12. Why doesn't AIMCO have legal protection from political interference like CPP does?

13. Why has LAPP not hit its benchmark this year?

14. AIMCO recommends comparing risk adjusted returns with a common year end to compare investment results. Why was this never done here?

15. How many AIMCO execs are big time UCPers?

16. What the hell is up with your ATRF Board appointment? Why can the AIMCO Board get their members reappointed and ATRF can't? #dumbdown

So many questions, so little time. Please continue to pursue Travis and your local MLAs. Democracy demands that they answer these and other questions. If you put a garbage business case into the process you will get garbage public policy out. #handsoffmypension