3. Summary of significant accounting policies (continued)
ii. Pension plans The Corporation provides pension plans for all eligible employees through its participation in both a defined contribution plan and a defined benefit plan. Under the defined contribution plan, the Corporation makes regular payments to a separate entity for current service and has no obligation to pay further amounts. Contributions are recognized within employee benefits expense during the period in which services are rendered by employees. During the period, the Corporation contributed $6 million (2016 – $7 million) to pension plans on behalf of employees for current service. The defined benefit plan is administered by Saskatchewan Power Corporation (SaskPower), a Crown corporation under the common control of CIC. Employees that transferred employment from SaskPower upon establishment of SaskEnergy were eligible to remain members of the plan for the maximum contribution period of 35 years. A contractual agreement is in place stating that the Corporation’s future contributions to the plan will not be affected by any plan surplus or deficiency. As a result, the Corporation’s obligations related to the defined benefit plan was limited to making regular payments to the plan for current service, similar to a defined contribution plan. As all eligible employees reached the maximum contribution period of 35 years in 2013, the Corporation is no longer required to make contributions to the plan. iii. Retiring allowance plan Certain employees of the Corporation are members of a retiring allowance plan. The Corporation’s obligation is the amount of future benefit that employees have earned in return for their service in the current and prior periods. The future benefit is actuarially determined using the projected unit credit method. Any actuarial gains or losses are recognized in other comprehensive income while all current service costs and interest expense are recognized in net income. The Corporation transfers any actuarial gains and losses from other equity to retained earnings in the year it is recognized in other comprehensive income. The Corporation measures its future benefit obligations for accounting purposes at March 31. The accrued employee benefits liability at March 31, 2017 was $7 million (2016 – $8 million). The Corporation has not established a trust nor does it hold property for the specific purpose of providing benefits to the participants of the plan. Benefits are funded by the current operations of the Corporation. m. Provisions Provisions are recognized when the Corporation has a present obligation, legal or constructive, as a result of a past event, it is probable that the Corporation will be required to settle the obligation and a reliable estimate of the amount of the obligation can be made. Provisions are determined by discounting the expected future cash flows at a rate that reflects current market assessments of the time value of money and the risks specific to the obligation.
i.
Decommissioning liability A decommissioning liability is a legal or constructive obligation associated with the decommissioning of certain natural gas facilities. The Corporation recognizes a decommissioning liability, with a corresponding increase to property, plant and equipment, in the period the facility is commissioned, provided a reasonable estimate of the expenditure required to settle the present obligation can be determined. The estimated expenditure of a decommissioning liability is based on detailed studies that take into account various assumptions regarding the anticipated future cash flows, including the method and timing of decommissioning. The Corporation discounts the future cash flows at a credit-adjusted risk free rate based on the yield of Government of Canada bonds. The unwinding of the discount on provisions is recognized in net income as finance expense over the estimated time period until settlement of the obligation. The corresponding increase to property, plant and equipment is depreciated on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of the related asset. At each reporting date, the estimated fair value of a decommissioning liability is reviewed with any changes recognized in the consolidated financial statements.
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Consolidated Financial Statements
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