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INTRODUCING OUR FIRST EDITION
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We are very excited about the first edition of
MERIT MATTERS, a quarterly newsletter for the employees of our members. We hope to bring you valuable information on what Merit membership means for you and your family.
If there are any topics you'd like more information on, please email us.
Click
here
to sign up additional email addresses for future MERIT MATTERS newsletters.
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| THE BUZZ ON YOUR BENEFITS |
Your MERIT benefit plan includes no fee access to an
Employee & Family Assistance Program.
Some of the services provided include:
- Assessment and counselling for several personal, health and work-related concerns such as relationship issues, bereavement, stress, smoking cessation, addictions, financial issues, anger management. and nutrition.
- Trauma and crisis response services including group or individual response to accidents or traumatic events.
- An online wellness library accessed at workhealthlife.com using "Merit Contractors Association" as the employer
All discussions are totally confidential, available 24/7/365 to you and your dependents and free of charge.
To use this service, call
Shepell*fgi at 1-800-387-4765.
Click HERE for more information on the Employee and Family Assistance Services.
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In 2014, my husband was diagnosed with cancer, which started a difficult journey for our family. Through our Merit Benefit Plan, we accessed
the
Best Doctors
service.
Best Doctors initially reviewed our file and reassured us that the diagnosis and prescribed treatment was correct. Their specialist was a leading authority and his recommendation was on track with what our doctor had outlined. The written report from Best Doctors was received promptly and they even allowed our doctors to call to discuss the case.
Getting referred to the right specialist is sometimes very difficult, especially in rural Saskatchewan and we now realize that had we contacted Best Doctors earlier, the diagnosis would have taken much less time.
Best Doctors also assigned a registered nurse as our advocate who had access to all of our records and explained every test, diagnosis, treatment, and procedure to us.
I am happy with the care given by the medical staff in Saskatchewan, but I also believe that Best Doctors was a tremendous asset for us.
If you or any member of your family has serious health concerns, don't delay; take advantage of the
Best Doctors
Service available to you through your Merit Benefit Plan.
Sandra Nordin,
Administration-Gen Mgr for G.W. Construction Ltd.
The Best Doctors service is part of the Merit Benefit Plan and is available to all office and hour bank employees that are in benefit. Click
HERE
for more information on Best Doctors.
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Mercon Benefit Services recently launched
Online Enrollment for the Hour Bank Benefit Plan.
New employees can now sign up for the plan online, and existing employees can update their personal information anytime.
Other advantages of Online Enrollment include:
- producing prescription drug benefit cards sooner;
- making health and dental claims sooner;
- improving accuracy of employee personal information
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Once again, MERIT has lined up some great training programs for everyone from junior tradespeople to executives and owners.
Visit our website to view our course line-up for 2016/2017. Check back often, as we continue to finalize details on some additional programs.
And don't forget, you can also access 10
online courses to round out your training needs for the year, including the new Construction Ethics course, which is now required for Gold Seal Certification.
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EDUCATION BURSARY PROGRAM FOR APPRENTICES
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Attention Apprentices
! Did you know, as an employee of a MERIT member, you qualify to have your tuition for apprenticeship training reimbursed? In fact, you're eligible receive the bursary for each level of your training.
How do you qualify? You must:
- Be enrolled in one of the designated trades
- Be employed with a MERIT Sask member when you register for the course
- Pass your level
- Return to work for a MERIT Sask member for at least 150 hours after you complete your level
- Complete the APPLICATION FORM and forward it to us, along with your transcript and tuition receipt
Processing your bursary may take up to 8 weeks, since we verify with Mercon (our plan administrator) that you've returned to work for 150 hours.
If you have any questions about the Education Bursary Program EMAIL US.
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Each year, Merit Saskatchewan provides two $500 bursaries to apprentices that have achieved excellence in their trade. This year's winners are:
Gurpreet Singh of Heritage Electric. Gurpreet recently passed his fourth level of Electrical apprenticeship with an astounding average of 98%
Lee Wakentin of Allan Construction. Lee successfully passed fourth level of carpentry apprenticeship training with an equally impressive average of 96%.
Congratulations to both Gurpreet and Lee on their accomplishments. They will be accepting their bursaries on October 21 at the Sask Apprenticeship Awards.
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| MERIT AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE |
We are happy to announce the
5th Annual Merit Awards of Excellence
will be held in Saskatoon on Friday April 21, 2017
The event promises, as always, to be a great way to network, have a fantastic meal and a lot of fun.
We encourage you to nominate your colleagues or employer for one of the ten prestigious awards.
Stay tuned for more information coming soon about how to submit your nominations and purchase tickets for this hallmark event.
Click
HERE for awards event information.
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