In our latest edition of Liaison RRQ - Retirement Experts, you will find recent statistics on Québec Pension Plan contributors and beneficiaries and supplemental pension plan members.

The Act to amend the Supplemental Pension Plans Act, particularly with respect to the funding and administration of pension plans has been passed. Read about it in the press release (in French only).

The pensions paid under the Québec Pension Plan are indexing each year based on the increase in the cost of living. Pensions currently being paid will increase by 2,1% as of 1 January 2007. For the basic information, see Québec Pension Plan Figures.

The 2007 reference rate for LIFs is 6%. Now you can calculate the life income and temporary income that you can withdraw from your life income fund in (LIF) in 2007. Use LIF Quick Calc.

On 17 October 2006, to mark the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, the Minister of Employment and Social Solidarity tabled a report in the Québec National Assembly that reviews the second year of the Québec government's action plan to combat poverty and social exclusion.

There is still time to sign up for the orientation course for new pension committee members or the course on partition of benefits between spouses (French only).

The first statistics on child assistance are now available on our site. They paint a detailed picture of the Québec families who receive benefits under this program.

Next payment:	Monthly
Child assistance	1 November 2006
Québec Pension Plan pensions	31 October 2006

Consult the payment calendar for 2006.

Experts at the Régie have observed changes in the group of beneficiaries receiving a disability pension from 1970 to 2003. The number of beneficiaries increased and the causes of disability changed. To find out more, see the most recent issue of Liaison RRQ-Retirement Experts or download the complete study (in French only). The main statistics for 2005 on the Québec Pension Plan are now available. You can also consult the complete statistics for 2004. (French only) The age at which you retire is your choice. If you stop working, you will be entitled to a retirement pension under the Québec Pension Plan as of age 60. However, you should know that the amount you will receive is calculated, among other factors, on the basis of your age when payment of your pension begins. The latest edition of Liaison RRQ-Magazine focuses on financial planning for retirement. It provides an in-depth look at the income sources that you will be able to count on at retirement. We just sent out the latest issue of our Liaison RRQ-News infoletter. You can read it on our site or you can sign up to receive it automatically be e-mail.

There are still a few spaces available for the training activities (given in French only) presented by the Collège on the gouvernance of pension funds, to be held on 19, 20 and 21 October 2006 in Québec. The deadline for registration is 12 October 2006.

As of 21 September 2006, it will be possible for the employer to stipulate that the right of a plan member to receive a refund of his or her not locked-in member contributions or to transfer them be deferred until the end of the member's active membership.

(Reference: Gazette officielle du Québec, 6 September 2006, page 3019.)

The 2006-2007 edition of the Guide to Financial Planning for Retirement is now available. Follow the steps, fill out the calculation tables and find out how much you will have to save each year to maintain your standard of living after you retire.

The Régie is going further in order to reduce the obstacles to social integration faced by handicapped people. The Action Plan for Handicapped Persons (French only) presents the Régie's objectives for 2006-2007.

The Régie is a finalist. Our on-line application for a retirement pension could win the Gouvernement en ligne prize, awarded by the Institut de l'administration publique de Québec (IAPQ). Since 2004, 23 000 persons have used this service and over half have been informed instantly on-line of the amount of their retirement pension.

You will be the first to know about our latest news, press releases and electronic bulletins as soon as they go on-line. Find out how in our section on RSS feeds.

Subscribe to Liaison RRQ, our new e-notification service. You will receive breaking news about our programs and services by e-mail. You can choose among our infoletter Liaison RRQ-News (with different editions covering 5 topics) or our on-line publications Liaison RRQ-Magazine and Liaison RRQ-Retirement Experts. Select any or all of them!

Québec has signed a social security agreement with Hungary. The agreement, which is effective 1 July 2006, will allow residents of Québec who worked or lived in Hungary to qualify for benefits, under certain conditions.

This month in Liaison RRQ-News 

• The Régie's activities in 2005-2006
• Is retirement near?
• Your next child assistance payment
• New issue of Liaison RRQ-Magazine
• Subscribe to our RSS feeds

Our latest issue of Liaison RRQ-Magazine is about children. Its articles and reports will help you discover the programs and services intended for them.

Bill 30, entitled "Act to amend the Supplemental Pension Plans Act, particularly with respect to the funding and administration of pension plans", was tabled in the National Assembly on 14 June 2006. For more information, read the related press release (French only).

The following documents have been tabled in the National Assembly: the Régie's Annual Management Report for 2005-2006, which details its realizations, its 2006-2011 Strategic Plan, which presents the orientations adopted to face upcoming challenges, and its 2006-2007 Action Plan.

Newsletter number 20 talks about the application of guidelines for capital funding pension plans whose members choose their investment options

This month in Liaison RRQ-News:

• For women, financial planning is not the same!
• When you separate, ask for the figures...
• Most popular given names for children
• Child assistance measure: How much will you receive this year?
• Draft regulation to make a change to the simplified pension plan (SIPP)

The draft regulation allows an employer to provide that the right of a plan member to receive a refund of his or her not locked-in member contributions or to transfer them be deferred until the end of the member's active membership. The draft regulation was published in the Gazette officielle du Québec, Part 2, 17 March 2006, page 1473 (on sale at Publications Québec). The publication notice explains how to send comments on the draft regulation to the Régie, no later than 1 July 2006.

On 17 May 2006, the Québec Cabinet appointed Ms. Alida Piccolo to a seat on the Régie's Board of Directors. She replaces Ms. Nicole Brodeur, who served on the Board for almost 6 years.

Between now and 30 June 2006, the Régie will be sending annual notices of child assistance to all Québec families. The notice indicates the amounts that will be paid from July 2006 through June 2007.

The Régie has just created 25 new positions in its Trois-Rivières office. For more information, see our press release (French only).

The Semaine québécoise des familles (Québec Family Week) will be from 15 to 21 May 2006. Go to the event's Web site (French only) to find out about local and province-wide activities. Enjoy your week!

The list of children's given names has just been updated with information from 2005. See a list of the most frequently used names or search for a specific name to find out its popularity over the last several years.

The 2006 edition of our Service Statement is now available. It's clear, precise presentation underlines one of our fundamental values: providing you with high-quality services.

The Collège des administrateurs de sociétés will give a session on the governance of pension funds (in French only), on 11, 12 and 13 May 2006. For more information or to register, consult their Web site and the course description.

The latest issue of Liaison RRQ-Retirement Experts focuses on a study entitled Income of the Retired Population in Québec. It looks at changes in the sources of income of people aged 65 and over and the situation of retirees aged 55 to 64 and it compares the retirement incomes of men and women.

From 30 March to 2 April 2006, the Régie des rentes du Québec is taking part in the Parents and Kids Fair at Place Bonaventure in Montréal. Come one, come all!

To receive or continue receiving child assistance, you must file your 2005 Québec income tax return. This is a requirement for both spouses (in a two-parent family), even if one or both has no income to declare.

The 3^rd instalment of Administering a Pension Plan Well is now available. It deals with the operating rules for pension committees, including: the makeup of the committee, holding meetings, rules of ethical conduct, training for committee members and document retention.

Each year, thousands of Quebeckers leave work and retire. To find out when they retire and how the transition occurs, see the latest issue of Liaison RRQ - Retirement Experts.

Financial planning for retirement is different for women, so why not celebrate International Women's Day by taking a look at our section entitled For Women Only.

Our experts have conducted a study on the income of Québec retirees age 65 or over, and those 55 to 64. See Income of the Retired Population in Québec or the summary, which provides the main results of the study.

See the most recent issue of Liaison RRQ for an in-depth look at partition of the Québec Pension Plan and supplemental pension plans (pension funds), as well as the effects of separation on child assistance payments.

On 28 February 2006, the Québec Cabinet named Mr. Gabriel Marchand to a seat on the Régie's Board of Directors. Mr. Marchand replaces Mr. Robert Gaulin, who served for more than 10 years on the Board. Mr. Syvain Picard and Mr. Paul-André Savoie have been reappointed to the Board.

Under the theme, Mothers, Fathers and Children, the Régie des rentes du Québec will be participating in the Salon des générations from 3 to 5 March 2006, at the Expo-Sherbrooke. Don't miss it!

The Québec Pension Plan's reserve fund had a rate of return on investments of 15,6% in 2005. The reserve's average rate of return from 1967 to 2005 is 9,4%. Read our press release (French only) to find out more.

Services Québec, in collaboration of the Régie des rentes du Québec, has published the 2006 edition of the guides Becoming a parent and What to do in the Event of Death. They contain useful information about the arrival of a child or a death.

You can now use clicSÉQUR, a secure connection method for the Régie's on-line services. Your clicSÉQUR ID has two parts, a user code and a password, that also can give you access to the on-line services of Revenu Québec and that will soon give you access to the on-line services of other Québec government departments and agencies.

Come visit our 40th Anniversary stand on 17, 18 and 19 February 2006 at Place de la Cité (2600, boulevard Laurier, Québec). There will also be some information sessions and special prizes.

A new issue of Newsletter Express is now available on our Web site. It tells you the kinds of specific information that you must provide in an actuarial valuation report related to the use of temporary funding measures.

The information campaign for CompuPension is in full swing. Listen for the radio spot now playing on stations across Québec to discover how to calculate your future!

Tax slips for beneficiaries will be mailed between 13 January and 16 February 2006.