2018 MERIT AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE
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What's in it for ME?
We talk a lot about how someone feels when they're nominated for one of our awards, but we should also take a minute to let you know about some of the perks for the NOMINATORS!
- You could WIN too! If you nominate the winner of any category, you will earn a $200 cash Visa card
- Fun at the awards ceremony! You may just get a ticket to the hottest event of the year, especially if your nominee is a finalist. You'll hear nothing but rave reviews about our awards event.
- It's a feel good moment! Many people tell us they were surprised at how good they felt in making a co-worker feel appreciated. There may not be any group hugs on a construction site, but it's OK to make your colleagues happy once in a while.
There's lots of great reasons to get involved in the 2018 MERIT Awards of Excellence, but we think this
VIDEO
says it all.
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Gloria Luscombe works for MERIT member, Gee Bee Construction based in Kipling.
Gloria's husband, Jerry, had been ill in the weeks leading up to Christmas 2016 but on Christmas Eve his symptoms worsened. Jerry immediately received a CT Scan, followed by an MRI, where they discovered a spot on his brain. The treatment plan was to "wait and watch".
On February 6th Gloria was on her way home from work when she received a text from Jerry that didn't make any sense, so she decided to FaceTime him. It was clear that something was very wrong. Jerry was unable to talk or communicate. He was rushed to the hospital where he stayed until he had surgery on March 13th.
While this was a devastating time for Jerry, Gloria was equally impacted. Jerry needed constant care and the stress of all the responsibility, combined with ongoing work, began to take its toll on Gloria. An underlying serious condition began to flare up. Gloria and her doctor decided to apply for Short Term Disability coverage, and was initially declined.
Gee Bee decided to step in and contacted Doug Price, MERIT's Member Service Coordinator. With his guidance, and the support of her physician, the decision to deny Gloria's STD coverage was reversed. Having the security of a pay cheque gave Gloria the peace of mind she needed to focus on Jerry's recovery.
Today Jerry has had 30 radiation treatments, along with numerous chemo treatments. He still has a long road ahead of him, but having his wife there when he needed her, was priceless.
In spite of the situation, Gloria is still thankful: to her co-workers who took on her work load, to the owner of GEE BEE Construction for supporting her when she needed it, and to the people at MERIT who helped ensure she was able to access benefit coverage when she needed it most.
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2018 marks MERIT'S 30th Anniversary as Saskatchewan's only open shop association.
Click here
to read our blog from our President, Karen Low, where she talks about MERIT'S beginnings 30 years ago.
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THE BUZZ ON YOUR BENEFITS - ADDITIONAL COVERAGE
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Did you know..
as a
MERIT
member we've got you covered!
Once you become part of the MERIT Contractors Association Benefit Plan, you have the option to purchase these additional insurance products:
- Optional Life Insurance: Available at discounted group rates, it is available to employees and their spouses in units of $25,000, to a maximum of $250,000 each.
- Critical Illness Coverage: Critical Illness Insurance provides a lump sum benefit payable if you have been diagnosed with, and survive, one of the 23 covered conditions.
- Retiree Benefit Plan: Available when you are between the age of 55 and 90. You are eligible to join within 90 days of termination of your hour bank or office supervisory plan.
If you would like additional information about these or any other benefits included in the MERIT Contractors Association Benefit Plan, call Mercon Benefit Services at
1.877.263.7266
or email
mercon@merconbenefits.com
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Training is well underway for the 2018 winter season. Our participants have learned a lot and enjoyed themselves at the same time!
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"The Merit courses are worth it! You get some perspective on aspects of construction that are often ignored or neglected"
"Having this toolbox is valuable at home and at work"
"The information opened my eyes to see how simple changes can have a huge impact on the company"
There is still time to take advantage of the following classroom workshops:
The following "new" webinars are also coming up covering:
Several
online webinars
are also available “on-demand” to help you
with basic Microsoft Office skills and Registering a Builder’s Lien.
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2017 OUT OF POCKET MEDICAL EXPENSES - ONLINE CLAIMS HISTORY
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Great West Life's online tool, "Group Net for Plan Members" allows employees to print their own claim history for the current taxation year.
This feature provides employees information on the claims they submitted, the amounts that Great-West life paid, and the amount that the employee paid out-of-pocket.
Eligible expenses that were not reimbursed, or not reimbursed fully, may qualify as medical expenses for the purpose of a tax credit, provided the minimum Canada Revenue Agency criteria are met. Employees must consult a tax guide to determine eligibility.
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If you haven't already, be sure to check out our President's
BLOG
to stay up to date on what's going on in the construction industry.
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Brittany Kugler joined MERIT on July 31, 2017 as our Office Manager. Her position includes managing the daily office administration tasks, processing the Education Bursaries, organizing MERIT’s social media and just about anything we throw at her – she’s great at multi-tasking!
Brittany was born and raised in Prince Albert and has recently moved home after living in Saskatoon for 10 years, where she was a Physician Recruiter for the province. Brittany’s number one priority is her daughter, Lily, who just turned 18 months. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her family, travelling, reading endless amounts of books, and camping.
While Brittany admittedly is not great with tools, she comes from a family of contractors and knows how important the open-shop movement is in the construction industry. She’s been a great asset to Merit as we look for ways to better serve our members.
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It is our pleasure to introduce this year again the Annual Report on the activities and achievements of
MERIT
Contractor's Association Saskatchewan
.
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