Latest news in Benefits Canada Archive

PMPRB changes within scope of Patent Act, rules federal court in judicial review

PMPRB changes within scope of Patent Act, rules federal court in judicial review

The Federal Court has upheld reforms to the Patented Medicines Pricing Review Board that updated the board’s reference countries for drug pricing and required it…

Active Engagement is Key to Driving Sustainable Investment Goals

Download the research paper (0.93 MB) Our latest research in partnership with Oxford Risk highlights that individuals care about sustainable investing, with younger investors in…

  • July 13, 2020 November 11, 2020
  • 08:59
PSP sees -0.6% return for fiscal year

PSP sees -0.6% return for fiscal year

The Public Sector Pension Investment Board saw a negative 0.6 per cent return for its last fiscal year, which ended March 31, 2020. Severe market…

  • By: Staff
  • July 13, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 08:45
RBC Insurance rolling out additional mental-health resources

RBC Insurance rolling out additional mental-health resources

RBC Insurance is offering additional mental-health resources for plan sponsors and their members. The free resources include therapist-assisted online cognitive behavioural therapy through AbilitiCBT, as…

  • By: Staff
  • July 10, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 15:15
CPPIB investing in non-dairy protein maker

CPPIB investing in non-dairy protein maker

The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board is leading a new tranche of financing for animal-free dairy maker Perfect Day Inc. The financing marks an expansion…

  • By: Staff
  • July 10, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 15:00
Largest Canadian pensions should maintain Fitch ratings through crisis: report

Largest Canadian pensions should maintain Fitch ratings through crisis: report

Canada’s 11 largest pension funds should be able to maintain their current credit ratings through ongoing market turmoil, according to Fitch Ratings Inc. Nevertheless, return…

  • By: Staff
  • July 10, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 15:00
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PSP Investments sees -0.6% net return for fiscal year

The Public Sector Pension Investment Board posted a negative 0.6 per cent net return for the fiscal year, which ended March 31, 2020. Severe market…

  • By: Staff
  • July 10, 2020 December 6, 2020
  • 12:41
Prescription for mental-health drugs on the rise during pandemic: analysis

Prescription for mental-health drugs on the rise during pandemic: analysis

The coronavirus pandemic has prompted a spike in the use of prescription medication for mental-health concerns, according to an analysis by Express Scripts Canada. The…

  • By: Staff
  • July 10, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 09:15
Is it time for pension plan sponsors to revisit risk tolerance?

Is it time for pension plan sponsors to revisit risk tolerance?

The coronavirus crisis may be a signal for some pension plan sponsors that it’s time to revisit their appetite for risk. A typical asset-liability study…

What’s keeping ESG rankings so convoluted?

What’s keeping ESG rankings so convoluted?

With its recent acquisition of environmental, social and governance data analytics provider Sustainalytics, Morningstar Inc. is taking aim at the disparate ESG disclosure requirements still hampering…

  • By: Staff
  • July 10, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 09:00

Is it time for pension plans to do away with absolute return benchmarks in infrastructure?

For years, institutional investors have used absolute return or cash-plus benchmarks to measure infrastructure performance, but it’s time to put these in the past and…

  • By: Staff
  • July 10, 2020 December 6, 2020
  • 08:00
Canadians prioritizing emergency savings over retirement, other long-term goals: survey

Canadians prioritizing emergency savings over retirement, other long-term goals: survey

Among Canadians with a retirement plan, 77 per cent said they’re confident they’ll have enough money to last the rest of their lives, compared to…

  • By: Staff
  • July 9, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 15:15
Pension veteran Sandra Nuttall remembered by colleagues

Pension veteran Sandra Nuttall remembered by colleagues

Sandra Nuttall, who spent her career in the pension industry, passed away on July 5 due to complications from dementia. Before she retired in 2011,…

  • By: Staff
  • July 9, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 15:00
Mental-health conditions, specialty meds driving drug plan cost increases in 2019: report

Mental-health conditions, specialty meds driving drug plan cost increases in 2019: report

Private drug plans saw the largest yearly increase in their average eligible costs in 2019, according to Telus Health’s annual drug trends report. The report attributed…

  • By: Staff
  • July 9, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 10:00
PIAC calling for changes to PfAD calculation, solvency reserve accounts in N.S.

PIAC calling for changes to PfAD calculation, solvency reserve accounts in N.S.

While the Pension Investment Association of Canada strongly supports Nova Scotia’s recent pension funding changes, it’s calling on the provincial government to tweak the provision for…

  • By: Staff
  • July 9, 2020 November 30, 2020
  • 08:45
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Dry powder in distressed private capital space at record high

There’s a record amount of dry powder sitting in the distressed private capital space, according to new data from Preqin. Between distressed debt, special situations…

  • By: Staff
  • July 9, 2020 December 6, 2020
  • 08:43

Liberals foresee high unemployment, $343 billion deficit due to coronavirus

Nearly two million Canadian workers could remain unemployed this year, according to forecasts in the federal government’s long-awaited “fiscal snapshot.” The document released Wednesday details…

Ontario Teachers’ lowered portfolio carbon footprint by 15% in 2019: report

Ontario Teachers’ lowered portfolio carbon footprint by 15% in 2019: report

The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan’s 2019 climate change report contains its first-ever, independently assured portfolio carbon footprint. Even as the plan’s assets grew in 2019,…

  • By: Staff
  • July 8, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 15:00
JTI launching global equal family leave policy

JTI launching global equal family leave policy

Japan Tobacco International is launching a global equal family leave policy for all of its employees. The new global strategy, which goes beyond the national…

  • By: Staff
  • July 8, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 15:00
Plan members increasingly open to pharmacogenetics, virtual care

Plan members increasingly open to pharmacogenetics, virtual care

Virtual-care options are gaining ground, according to the 2020 Sanofi Canada health-care survey. Looking at a scenario where plan members would receive health-care services through…

  • By: Staff
  • July 8, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 09:00
Mawer shakes up equity strategies management team

Mawer shakes up equity strategies management team

Jim Hall is stepping down as co-manager of Mawer Investment Management Ltd.’s Canadian and global equity strategies to focus his full attention on his responsibilities…

  • By: Staff
  • July 7, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 15:30
Sun Life launching ESG framework for pension plan sponsors

Sun Life launching ESG framework for pension plan sponsors

Sun Life Canada is launching an environmental, social and governance framework for its group retirement services to help pension plan sponsors and members make sustainable…

  • By: Staff
  • July 7, 2020 November 30, 2020
  • 15:15
Fujitsu introducing permanent remote working policy for 80,000 global staff

Fujitsu introducing permanent remote working policy for 80,000 global staff

Fujitsu Ltd. is introducing permanent remote working for 80,000 global employees in a bid to boost innovation and work-life balance. The Japanese multinational’s campaign, which…

  • By: Staff
  • July 7, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 15:00
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PSP Investments raises over $700,000 for charities in wake of coronavirus pandemic

The Public Sector Pension Investment Board’s special coronavirus emergency relief initiative has raised over $700,000 for various charities. Donations went to supporting four organizations actively involved…

  • By: Staff
  • July 7, 2020 December 6, 2020
  • 09:49
If private equity doesn’t perform, is it worth institutional investors’ trouble?

If private equity doesn’t perform, is it worth institutional investors’ trouble?

As private equity investments become all the more commonplace in pension fund portfolios, is the asset class really worth it? According to a paper by Ludovic…

  • By: Staff
  • July 7, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 09:15