​
A Brief History of the Concordia University Pensioners Association
The Beginning
The Concordia University Pensioners’ Association (CUPA/ARUC)) was established on November 17, 1987. From the outset it was agreed that the Association would be open to all individuals, faculty and staff, receiving a pension from Concordia University.
Why?
First Meeting
Relationship with Concordia
CUPA Participation University on Pension and Benefits Committees
Fundraising
CUPA Operations
The motivation for establishing the Association rose from a concern that Concordia pensioners should be involved in the governance and oversight of the pension plan and benefits programs, particularly the health insurance components. In addition, it was recognized that such an association should play a role in keeping pensioners informed of university decisions and developments that could affect their well-being. The Association’s first constitution was adopted at the Annual General Meeting in May 1988.
The founding meeting was attended by forty-five pensioners. An additional sixty-two pensioners had signed membership forms and, along with those attending, paid a $1 fee to become the first members of the new association. From the 101 initial members, the Association has grown over the years. Active membership now approaches 550. Since 2004, over 1,150 pensioners have been members of CUPA/ARUC.
While not a formal part of the University, CUPA has been supported by many of Concordia’s administrative departments and often consulted by university leadership on matters related to Pensions and Benefits. Starting in October 1988, Human Resources agreed to distribute membership forms to new pensioners. The same year Financial Services opened internal accounts for CUPA allowing the Association to use internal ancillary services such as mailing, postage, printing and, later, technical services provided by IITS. In 1993 Human Resources began providing CUPA with the names of new pensioners who agreed to allow their names and contact information to be shared with the Association. In 1998 CUPA was recognized as the official representative of all Non-Active Pensioners by the Vice-Rector, Institutional Relations & Secretary General, Marcel Danis.
One of the first objectives identified by CUPA was to seek representation on the Pensions and Benefits Committees of the Concordia University Board of Governors. While it took some time to achieve, an agreement with the University was reached and in January 1991 the first non-active (pensioner) representative was elected to the Pension and Benefits Committees. In 1994, an alternate non-active representative was authorized to both committees. Since then, CUPA has been designating two representatives to each committee, thus maintaining an operational connection with matters of primary concern to Concordia pensioners.
At the General Meeting held in October 2001, the CUPA membership agreed in principle to establish a scholarship and bursary fund. As a result, The Concordia University Retired Faculty and Staff Endowment Fund was finalized in November 2001, with the first scholarships and bursaries being awarded in Fall 2002. The endowment was created through an agreement between CUPA and the University to use the proceeds of the demutualization of the Sun Life Retired Insurance Policy to provide in-course scholarships and bursaries to Concordia undergraduate and graduate students across all Faculties. Since its inception, the endowment has grown significantly, due to both the investment policies of the Concordia Foundation and donations from CUPA and its members. Currently, CUPA is awarding $40,000 annually in scholarships and bursaries.
​
In addition to the awards from the Endowment Fund, CUPA recently instituted a separate fund to provide student support on a one-time basis. Five dollars from each membership fee goes directly to this program to support different student needs. The first two awards from this program were used to create the Howard Fink Memorial Award, a one-time 3-year scholarship ($7,500 total) for a student entering an English Department program, and to make a $4,000 donation to the Friends of Women’s Hockey Fund in support of the Concordia Women’s Hockey Team.
Since its inception, CUPA has held two regular meetings every year. An Annual General Meeting (AGM) in late-May/early-June and a Fall-Term General Meeting in December, followed by our Annual Holiday Luncheon. The meetings were always held in-person until 2020 when the pandemic hit. During the pandemic, the meetings were held by videoconference, initially as webinars and later as interactive Zoom meetings. Following the pandemic, meetings were resumed in-person with a videoconference option, which allowed members to participate who were unable to attend in-person. All meetings featured presentations from each of the Committee Chairs (Pension, Benefits, Scholarships and Awards, etc.…) as well as general remarks and information about future activities and directions for the Association. Q&A periods follow each portfolio presentation and at the end of the meeting. Many of the meetings have featured special guest speakers. Elections for the CUPA Executive Committee occur at the AGM.
​
Communications for such a diverse and wide-spread membership has always been a challenge for the Association. To help meet that concern, the first CUPA Newsletter appeared in May 1992 and has been published twice annually in May and November ever since. The CUPA website was introduced in 2004 and shortly after an email list server (mailing list) was established. In July 2020, the CUPA Facebook page was created, providing another means to share information among members.
​
CUPA continues to evolve, but the goal of the Association continues to be the effective representation of pensioners with Concordia on matters of importance to the well-being of our community while providing an active, ongoing, and supportive link amongst members and to the University.
This short history will be updated from time to time as the focus, accomplishments and memorable events in our Association become history.
Garry Milton
February 22, 2026
CUPA Presidents
-
Jack Borden 1988 – 1991
-
Jim Whitelaw 1991 – 1994
-
Jean-Pierre Petolas 1994 – 1997
-
Geoff Adams 1997 – 2000
-
John Hall 2000 – 2004
-
Graham Martin 2004 – 2011
-
Bill Knitter 2011 – 2017
-
Garry Milton 2017 – 2025
-
Kathleen Perry 2025 -