The November General Meeting will be held on Wednesday, Nov 1st at 1:30 at the Norwood Legion.  We are pleased to welcome Francois Mainguy, CN Manager Pensions to Winnipeg. He will be giving a presentation on our Pension Plan.

Also at the November meeting, we will be conducting elections for the MB Executive, and National Council positions - Director, Alternate Director and Health Care Rep.

In addition, tickets for the Christmas luncheon will be available.

The Fall 2017 Newsletter is now available.  To view it click here or visit our Newsletter Page.

The October General Meeting will take place on Wednesday, October 4th at 1:30 p.m.  It will be held at the CN Claude Mongeau National Training Centre, 650 Pandora Avenue East.

• Parking is limited due to the large numbers of students attending the Campus.
• Parking is available across the street at East End Community Centre and in the CN Work Equipment Shop parking lot, located just west of the Campus on Pandora Ave.
• Our guest speaker will be from the Campus, giving us an informal history on this world class private Training Centre.
• Due to over 300 students at the Campus, actual tours will not be available.

"Memories of The Moonlight Special and Grand Beach Train Era" by Barbara Lange will soon be available on order from Chapters / Indigo / Coles / Smith. Barbara and her husband Larry are regular attendees at our monthly meetings. Click here for "Tidbits" for your reading enjoyment. For more information, contact Barbara at railwaystories@hotmail.com.

Family Day is scheduled for Saturday, September 9th from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  Tickets are now available.  Allotment is the same as in previous years:  4 tickets per employee / pensioner.  Tickets are available at Symington Yard M Building.

​You have no doubt heard about the devastating wildfires in British Columbia, which have forced the evacuation of thousands of people, who now face the prospect of losing their homes and personal possessions. That includes a number of CN employees.
 
The province has declared a state of emergency and the Canadian Red Cross has launched a BC Fires Appeal to help those in need. CN is contributing to this urgent cause with a donation of $25,000 in addition to offering support to affected employees.
 
As well, CN is collecting employee donations through the CN Employees’ and Pensioners’ Community Fund. We know there are many worthwhile charities, campaigns and emergency situations in the world that deserve support, but this is close to home for all of us and we hope you will consider making a contribution to help out our colleagues and neighbours in their time of need.
 
There are two ways you can contribute to the campaign:
 
1)    You can go to the CN Employees’ and Pensioners’ Community Fund website, under the British Columbia Wildfires Appeal (Across Canada) page and click on “Make a Donation”.
2)    Or you can write a cheque to “The CN Community Fund – British Columbia Wildfires,” and mail to:
The CN Community Fund – British Columbia Wildfires
          935 de La Gauchetiere St. W, Floor 2
          Montreal, Quebec
          H3B 2M9
 
For donations of at least $20, you will be issued a tax receipt by the Community Fund, so please include your name and employee PIN number on your cheque.  As we generally do, CN will pay for all administrative costs for this appeal, so that every dollar employees donate will go directly to the Canadian Red Cross relief efforts. 
 
Thank you in advance for your generosity.
 
Fiona Murray and Tim Priestley
Co-presidents, Campaign 2017
CN Employees' and Pensioners' Community Fund
2017/07/12
 

​By now most of you will have received the Pension Plan Annual Report in the mail.  With it came an additional document which has created some confusion.
 
To clarify – For all pensioners who have been retired for more than 10 years, you don't have anything to do as it is for information purposes only, now as required by PBSA.  As you are aware our pension plan guarantee a minimum of ten years of benefits.
 
Over and above the requirement from PBSA, CN also needs to know about beneficiaries of retired pensioners with less then ten years who don't have a spouse. For those who have a spouse then it is recommended that they indicate a second beneficiary in case the spouse dies before the ten years is up.
 
Unfortunately ''No beneficiary on file'' as it is indicated on the form is misleading.
 
If you call the Pensioners’ Help Line at 1-800-361-0739 there is a recorded message to that effect.
 

Just a clarification to the Summer 2017 edition of the MB newsletter regarding the Harvey Hosfield Bursary and the Trade Bursary. Since 2016, children and grandchildren of our Associate Members are also eligible to apply. Please review the Terms and Conditions for full instructions.

The CNPA of Manitoba would like to thank Richard Barrett, Betty Steffens and Thelma Souliere for representing the CNPA at the CN Eco-Connexions Tree Planting in Brandon on May 24th.

​
From left to right:
Richard Barrett - CN Pensioner...
Barry Cullen - Assistant Deputy Mayor
Betty Steffens - CN Pensioner
Thelma Souliere - CN Pensioner
Larry Maguire - MP (Brandon-Souris)
Dustin Schollenberg - CN police
Front row:
Ken Fosty - Tree Canada
Kate Fenske - CN

Why is Lyme Disease Spreading across Manitoba (and Canada?)
* Share and spread awareness *

Ticks have 4 stages to their life cycle. Larvae will hatch from the egg and will seek its first host in order to obtain a blood meal. Their first host is generally a small rodent, such as mice or squirrels, or birds. Once they are fed, they molt into their next life stage - nymphs.

Nymphs are very tiny, about the size of a poppy seed. To get perspective, if you look at a dime, the nymph deer tick will fit in the “0” in the “10 cents” writing.

Nymphs are active right now, and this is the time to be aware as they are very hard to see. On a human, they may look like a freckle. The blacklegged nymphs featured on our most recent surveillance photo were found along the Seine River June 3. Many of us are familiar with the more common dog ticks, but as our photo shows these nymph deer ticks are so much smaller.

When a host animal is already infected with the bacteria for Lyme or other tick-borne illnesses, (anaplasmosis and babesia) any feeding blacklegged tick will also be infected with the same bacteria. When it drops and morphs into the next life cycle, it will then infect the next host (along with any other ticks that are currently attached or will attach in the future). This is why Lyme Disease is spreading so rapidly across our country. It is estimated that by 2020 over 80% of Canada will have the blacklegged ticks.

Manitoba Health’s Tick-borne Disease report indicates that June is the peak month for receiving a Lyme diagnosis. It is still very important to take necessary precautions to prevent tick bites – use repellent containing at least 20% deet or icardin, do proper tick checks, and be aware of symptoms.

If you have been bitten by a tick, or are unsure but have unexplained flu-like symptoms, it is important to see a doctor immediately. Remember, a bulls-eye rash only appears about 40% of the time, but does indicate a Lyme infection. Lyme disease is a very manipulative bacteria that can cause life-long symptoms, so early treatment is essential for a full recovery. To assist your doctor with your treatment, we recommend downloading the most recent physician information and take it to the appointment with you. (link is provided below)

Physician’s update regarding tick-borne illnesses:
http://www.gov.mb.ca/…/publich…/cdc/docs/hcp/2017/040717.pdf

Manitoba Tickborne Illness Report:
http://www.gov.mb.ca/…/cdc/tickborne/docs/tbd_report2015.pdf

Manitoba Health Lyme Disease Information:
http://www.gov.mb.ca/health/publichealth/diseases/lyme.html

Removing a Tick
https://www.facebook.com/ManitobaLyme/photos/a.324159074609810.1073741829.243648385994213/419162281776155/?type=3&theater
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Preventing a Tick Bite
https://www.facebook.com/ManitobaLyme/photos/a.331293610563023.1073741830.243648385994213/425779504447766/?type=3&theater