The plan partners have agreed to provide enhanced early retirement provisions for wildfire fighters. The Province of British Columbia and the British Columbia General Employees’ Union pursued enhanced early retirement provisions to acknowledge the role wildfire fighters play in public safety.

Each year, hundreds of plan members fight wildfires, working hard to keep communities across British Columbia safe. This work is essential and requires physical and mental resilience that can take a toll on wildfire fighters. In March 2025, the plan partners reached an agreement to establish a public safety group for wildfire fighters that enhances early retirement provisions for eligible members.

Participation in the wildfire fighter public safety group is limited to plan members who meet the definition of “wildfire fighter”. The plan defines a “wildfire fighter” as a member who, on or after April 1, 2026, is employed by the government in the BC Wildfire Service and is employed in a “public safety occupation”, as defined in the Income Tax Regulations under the Income Tax Act.

When will the change be effective?

Changes will be effective on April 1, 2026. The new enhanced early retirement provisions will apply to service earned on or after this date, while participating in the plan as a wildfire fighter.

Changes will not apply to benefits earned prior to April 1, 2026.

What does this mean for members?

This change strengthens wildfire fighters’ long-term retirement security. The earliest retirement age is changing from 55 to 50, meaning eligible members will be able to retire as early as age 50 if their last plan employment was with the wildfire fighter public safety group.

This change will not affect members’ contribution rates.

Members in the wildfire fighter public safety group will be entitled to an unreduced pension for their wildfire fighter service at:

• Age 60 with any amount of contributory service
• Age 55 with two years or more of contributory service
• Age 50 or later with 35 years or more of contributory service

The enhanced early retirement provisions will not apply to members who retired or terminated before April 1, 2026.

There may be members in the wildfire fighter public safety group who have also contributed to the plan while working in other roles. If members have worked in roles that span different benefit groups (e.g., regular, corrections, ambulance paramedic), then service earned in each of those roles may have different rules applied when they leave their job or retire. The benefit group the member last worked in will determine their earliest retirement age. More information about how plan rules apply to the different groups can be found under Plan changes.

For members who leave the wildfire fighter public safety group and later retire from employment in the regular group, the earliest retirement age of the regular group applies. This means that the earliest retirement age is 55. However, the unreduced retirement ages and early retirement reduction factors will still apply to service earned as a wildfire fighter.

What’s next?

No action is required from members. Effective April 1, 2026, service earned as a wildfire fighter will automatically have the new rules applied.

More information about the plan changes will be available April 1, 2026.

Members who have questions about how these changes will affect their pension can contact us through Message Centre in My Account or call us toll-free at 1-800-665-3554.