Plan History

The Halifax Regional Municipality Pension Plan became effective April 1, 1998, as a result of the merger of the following pension plans sponsored by the HRM:

•  the City of Halifax Superannuation Plan
•  the City of Dartmouth Employees' Retirement Pension Plan
•  the Halifax County Municipality Full-time Retirement Pension Plan
•  the Metropolitan Authority Employees' Pension Plan

Since 1998, the Plan has been providing retirement benefits to our members. The Plan has gone through many changes over that time.

In the beginning, the Plan was small enough to be completely managed by the Pension Committee. As the Plan grew, the Committee recognized the need for additional support. In 2006, they hired the Plan’s first CEO to help operate the Plan.

With the opening of our Pension Office in 2005 and the introduction of the Plan Member Services team, we began to offer our members a space where they could come and ask questions about their Plan benefit or complete their pension related transactions. We now handle 100% of member pension related transactions in-house, ensuring timely and accurate completion. This service has been well received and many members visit our office. The Pension Office now has 18 employees committed to supporting the Plan and its membership.

Since 1998, the Plan’s assets have grown from $650 million to $2.5 billion at the end of 2022. Our investment mix has evolved from a traditional strategy consisting of solely publicly traded securities into a complex portfolio of both public and private investments. Our membership base has grown as well; the Plan is now over 13,440 members strong.