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## Note 23 : Employee Benefit Plans 

We provide pension, other retirement and post-employ- ment benefits for almost all of our employees. These include DB pension plans, plans that provide other employee future benefits and DC pension plans. 

## Components of Accrued Benefit Asset (Liability) 

The table below shows the change in benefit obliga- tions, change in fair value of plan assets and the funded status of the DB plans. 

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(1) Costs in 2004 relate to the employee departure programs announced at Bell Canada. See Note 4, Restructuring and Other Items , for more information. 

(2) Costs in 2004 mainly relate to DB pension plan amendments at Aliant whereby certain bargaining unit employees and eligible management employees were awarded past service benefits. 

(3) Costs in 2003 mainly relate to Bell Canada’s sale of its 89.9% ownership interest in Certen. 

For DB pension plans with an accrued benefit obliga- tion that was more than plan assets: 

• the accrued benefit obligation was $14,087 million at December 31, 2004, and $2,732 million at Decem- ber 31, 2003 

• the fair value of plan assets was $12,630 million at December 31, 2004, and $2,005 million at Decem- ber 31, 2003. 

For DB pension plans with an accrued benefit obliga- tion that was less than plan assets: 

• the accrued benefit obligation was $261 million at December 31, 2004, and $9,773 million at Decem- ber 31, 2003 

• the fair value of plan assets was $400 million at December 31, 2004, and $10,564 million at Decem- ber 31, 2003. 

