Agenda at a glance
 

Wednesday, Feb. 26

6:00 – 9:00 PM: Opening cocktail and dinner reception
 

Thursday, Feb. 27

7:00 – 7:30 AM: Speaker rehearsal

7:30 – 8:30 AM: Breakfast

8:30 AM – 12:30 PM: Sessions

12:30 – 1:30 PM: Lunch

1:30 – 3:45 PM: Sessions

3:45 – 4:15 PM: Speaker rehearsal

6:00 – 9:00 PM: Cocktail reception and dinner (Ferreira Café)

9:00 – 11:00 PM: Games night and Y2K dance party
 

Friday, Feb. 28

8:00 – 9:00 AM: Breakfast

8:15 – 8:45 AM: French breakfast breakout session

9:00 AM – 12:00 PM: Sessions

12:00 – 1:00 PM: Closing lunch
 
Confirmed sessions:

Navigating geopolitical challenges: The future of finance and society

As the founder and chairman of Signum Global Advisors, Charles Myers is a leading expert in geopolitical and macro risk as it relates to financial markets, corporations and the general public. Drawing on Myers’ experience and network within Washington, D.C. and beyond, this session will unpack some of the key issues facing North America and the world today, including climate and infrastructure, inequality and inclusion as well as global trade and security.

Speaker:

Charles Myers, chairman, Signum Global Advisors

Economic outlook 2024/25: The big easy

The economic focus has shifted from managing inflation to managing growth; policy-makers, especially in the U.S., are close to achieving that goal. Canada’s economy is sluggish, but inflation has slid below the two per cent target as the Bank of Canada has been the most aggressive of the G10 central banks to cut rates. The U.S. economy, however, has been remarkably resilient and cooler inflation gave the Federal Reserve the comfort to finally start easing. Still, there are plenty of risks in the horizon, beyond the U.S. election, including further trade wars, the threat of retaliatory tariffs and geopolitics.

Speaker:

Douglas Porter, chief economist and managing director, BMO Financial Group

Refreshing CAPSA’s capital accumulation plans guideline

Originally issued in 2004, the Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities’ capital accumulation plans guideline has stood the test of time. But it was time for a refresh!  Since 2019, CAPSA has been leading a review and update of the CAP guidelines. The association has been working with representatives from both the Canadian Securities Administrators and the Canadian Council of Insurance Regulators in this work to ensure the broad scope and applicability of the original guideline remains. The session will cover how the guideline has evolved and how regulators will be using it.

Speaker:

Leah Fichter, vice-chair, the Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities, deputy superintendent of pensions, executive director, pensions division, Financial Consumer Affairs Authority of Saskatchewan

Case study: State-facilitated retirement programs and auto-enrolment in the U.S.

Over the past seven years, the U.S. has seen growing interest in state-facilitated retirement programs as states attempt to address the looming retirement savings crisis facing their residents, taxpayers and local governments. This session will explore how state policies and state-facilitated retirement programs are increasing access to workplace retirement savings options to help more workers prepare for a retirement with dignity. Attendees will learn about Illinois’ Secure Choice retirement savings program, which is representative of the automatic enrolment individual retirement account programs that incorporate behavioural economics in program design to help improve participation and outcomes.

Speaker:

Michael Frerichs, state treasurer, Illinois Treasurer’s Office

Panel: Looking back and ahead: 25 years of DC pensions 

The Canadian defined contribution pension industry has changed significantly over the past 25 years, including rounds of legislative reforms, a growing focus on automatic features and member engagement and the rise of new decumulation solutions. At the 25th anniversary of the DC Plan Summit, three veteran pension professionals will discuss how things have changed and the work the industry still needs to tackle to ensure an expanding cohort of DC plan members are prepared for retirement.

Panellists:

Wendy Mizuno, senior vice-president, total rewards, Loblaw Companies Ltd.

Blair Richards, chief investment officer, Halifax Port ILA/HEA

Basil Rowe, senior director, total rewards, Sobeys Inc.

Moderator:

Jennifer Paterson, editor, Benefits Canada

Bell Canada’s DC journey

Over the last 20 years, Bell Canada’s DC plan has evolved significantly as it faced the changes and developments in Canada’s DC pension industry. This session will discuss the company’s approach to decumulation, the introduction of additional flexibility, its progress with default investment options and what it sees for its DC plan’s future.

Speaker:

Robert Marchessault, director, pension and benefits, Bell Canada

Engagement (r)evolution: Boosting retirement outcomes

Personalization, driven by advanced marketing technology and innovative content strategies, can significantly enhance member engagement and outcomes in group retirement plans. This session will provide practical insights on how to leverage technology to enhance member engagement and strategies for evolving governance in the era of personalization.

Speaker:

Speaker information coming soon. This session has been made possible by Manulife.

The decumulation dilemma

Decumulation is a complex problem – arguably harder than accumulation, where plan members have a common goal: save and invest for retirement. Once in the decumulation phase, each plan member’s needs, wants and situations vary. At the core of solving the dilemma is a decumulation ecosystem that includes investment vehicles with the highest risk-adjusted returns.

Speaker:

Nicole Lomax, vice-president, portfolio manager, institutional asset allocation, TD Asset Management Inc.

Revolutionizing retirement income solutions for Canadian retirees

Retirement income planning is one of the most pressing challenges facing Canadians and the pension industry. With a staggering third of Canadians struggling to plan for their golden years and five million set to turn 65 this decade, the time to act is now. Alongside engagement and advice throughout DC plan members’ retirement years, a target-age solution has become another tool on the shelf to help Canadians fill an important gap in the decumulation landscape.

Speaker:

Yashar Zarrabian, regional vice-president, Quebec, Sun Life Financial

All times listed above are in Eastern Time. This agenda is subject to change.