Vivendi Canada Inc. v. Michel Dell'Aniello (April 24, 2013)
Case # 34800
The respondent is a former employee of the Seagram Company Limited and the vice president of a Seagram subsidiary. In December 2000, Vivendi S.A. acquired Seagram, which at the time was a leading producer of wine and spirits in Canada. In December 2001, Seagram’s assets related to the production and distribution of wine and spirits were sold. Seagram then became Vivendi Universal Canada Inc., which in turn became Vivendi Canada Inc. The employment contract of Seagram’s officers and employees had various components, including the supplementary health insurance plan. The supplementary health insurance plan was the predecessor of the current insurance coverage plan. The insurance plan covered them and their dependents both during their working lives and for the full length of their retirement.
Seagram’s plan covered employees not only during their working lives but also for the full length of their retirement. On July 15, 1985, the plan was revised and its name changed to Supplementary (Extended) Health Insurance. In 2008 Vivendi wrote to all retirees and surviving spouses to inform them that it was unilaterally reducing the plan’s benefits.
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