Latest news in Benefits Canada Archive

Bob Baldwin appointed chair of C.D. Howe pension policy council

Bob Baldwin appointed chair of C.D. Howe pension policy council

The C.D. Howe Institute has appointed Bob Baldwin as chair of its pension policy council.  With more than 30 years of experience, Baldwin is an…

  • By: Staff
  • February 20, 2020 November 11, 2020
  • 08:45
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Ontario Teachers’ buys stake in cybersecurity firm, Caisse portfolio companies make acquisitions

The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan is joining a consortium to purchase RSA Security in an all-cash transaction for more than $2.07 billion, subject to certain…

  • By: Staff
  • February 20, 2020 December 13, 2020
  • 08:34
Franklin Templeton acquiring Legg Mason and affiliates

Franklin Templeton acquiring Legg Mason and affiliates

Franklin Resources Inc., operating as Franklin Templeton, is acquiring investment management company Legg Mason Inc. The all-cash deal priced Legg Mason’s common shares at US$50. As…

  • By: Staff
  • February 19, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 15:30
How pension plans can implement TCFD recommendations

How pension plans can implement TCFD recommendations

With the task force on climate-related financial disclosures becoming increasingly common in institutional investor circles, how can Canadian pension plans start to use its guidance…

Saint John Airport workers joining CAAT’s DBplus

Saint John Airport workers joining CAAT’s DBplus

Unionized workers at Saint John Airport are joining the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology pension plan’s DBplus. According to the Public Service Alliance of Canada,…

  • By: Staff
  • February 19, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 09:30
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Are central banks running out of tools in their toolbox?

Central banks’ actions have gone too far and they’re running out of tools in their toolbox, according to Erik Weisman, chief economist at MFS Investment…

  • By: Yaelle Gang
  • February 19, 2020 December 13, 2020
  • 08:53
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Coastal GasLink pipeline investor AIMCo committed to closing deal despite protests

The Alberta Investment Management Corp., an investment firm buying a stake in the Coastal GasLink pipeline, says it remains “committed” to the deal despite protester…

PIAC calls on Manitoba to enable target-benefit plans

PIAC calls on Manitoba to enable target-benefit plans

While the Pension Investment Association of Canada is applauding proposed changes to Manitoba’s Pension Benefits Act that would allow for in-plan solvency reserve accounts for…

  • By: Staff
  • February 18, 2020 November 30, 2020
  • 15:30
Caisse adds to Cirque de Soleil investment, converts Bombardier shares to Alstom

Caisse adds to Cirque de Soleil investment, converts Bombardier shares to Alstom

The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is boosting its current investment in the Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group. The investment, which will see the…

  • By: Staff
  • February 18, 2020 November 11, 2020
  • 15:00
Sounding Board: Considering the legal risks of CAPs

Sounding Board: Considering the legal risks of CAPs

One of the reasons for the switch from defined benefit to capital accumulation plans is that employers assume CAPs are less financially and legally risky,…

  • February 18, 2020 November 30, 2020
  • 09:30
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China virus outbreak chilling recovery for Asian economies

The virus outbreak in China has put South Korea’s economy into an “emergency situation,” its president says. Japan is on the brink of recession and…

UTAM joins institutional investors calling on aviation sector to address climate change

UTAM joins institutional investors calling on aviation sector to address climate change

The University of Toronto Asset Management Corp. is teaming up with more than 120 institutional investors to call on the aviation sector to confront the…

  • By: Staff
  • February 18, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 09:15
CPPIB assets reach more than $420 billion in fiscal Q3

CPPIB assets reach more than $420 billion in fiscal Q3

The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board generated a net income of $14.5 billion for its third fiscal quarter, rounding out a 7.1 per cent return for…

  • By: Staff
  • February 18, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 09:00
Quebec won’t create emergency fund for corporate pensions

Quebec won’t create emergency fund for corporate pensions

Quebec’s closed the door on the idea of forming a pension benefits guarantee fund to protect members in retirement plans sponsored by employers that have…

Western Forest Products, union reach tentative deal after tensions over LTD benefits, pension

Western Forest Products, union reach tentative deal after tensions over LTD benefits, pension

Western Forest Products and the United Steelworkers union have reached a tentative collective agreement after more than seven months of tensions over pensions and long-term…

  • By: Staff
  • February 14, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 09:10
Canadian DB plans return 14% for 2019: RBC

Canadian DB plans return 14% for 2019: RBC

Canadian defined benefit pension plans posted an average return of 14 per cent in 2019, according to RBC Investor and Treasury Services’ universe. The double-digit…

  • By: Staff
  • February 14, 2020 November 12, 2020
  • 09:07
Do workers delaying retirement feel financially trapped?

Do workers delaying retirement feel financially trapped?

Should I stay or should I go? That’s the question employees are asking regarding their retirement, but they’re getting mixed answers from their employers. In…

  • By: Staff
  • February 14, 2020 November 30, 2020
  • 09:05
BCI makes credit agreement, CPPIB ups allocation to U.S. logistics firm

BCI makes credit agreement, CPPIB ups allocation to U.S. logistics firm

The British Columbia Investment Management Corp. is making a credit agreement with Knightsbridge Capital Group, an asset-based lender in Vancouver. “As BCI builds out our…

  • By: Staff
  • February 14, 2020 November 11, 2020
  • 09:00

Editorial: Hands off my massage benefits!

Since my last two editorials have targeted issues around pension plan design and retirement readiness, I’m balancing things out this month by turning my attention…

Head to head: Is too much choice an issue in DC plan investment options?

Canadian defined contribution plans offer a range of investment choices, from a single balanced fund, in some cases, to more than 25 options. Douglas Anderson,…

West Fraser taking phased approach to pension plan annuitization

West Fraser taking phased approach to pension plan annuitization

West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. isn’t annuitizing multiple defined benefit plans to get out of the pension business. In fact, the British Columbia-based integrated wood…

  • By: Yaelle Gang
  • February 14, 2020 December 11, 2020
  • 08:58

How can plan sponsors work out the kinks in paramedical coverage?

Historically, Epcor Utilities Inc. provided employees with $1,000 in annual coverage for each paramedical service, ranging from massage therapists, physiotherapists and chiropractors to speech therapists,…

What lies ahead for pension funds in 2020?

What lies ahead for pension funds in 2020?

Institutional investors are grappling with historic levels of geopolitical tension, with multiple pain points contributing to a shifting macroeconomic landscape. But amid the whooshing sounds…

A look at one of Canada’s oldest multi-employer target-benefit plans

A look at one of Canada’s oldest multi-employer target-benefit plans

Jim Flynn, a trustee of the Nursing Homes and Related Industries Pension Plan and a former assistant regional director of the Canadian Union of Public…

OPTrust focuses on certainty in an uncertain environment

Against a backdrop of uncertainty, the OPSEU Pension Trust is guided by an investment strategy with certainty at its core. In 2015, the plan introduced…