Latest news in Governance/legislation

Sears, Wabush cases put deemed-trust provision back in spotlight

Sears, Wabush cases put deemed-trust provision back in spotlight

The ongoing Sears Canada Inc. and Wabush Mines restructurings illustrate that there’s perhaps nothing as vexing in insolvency situations as the position that pension deficits…

CMHC pension saga ends with $7M settlement for former employees

CMHC pension saga ends with $7M settlement for former employees

After 18 years of litigation, a settlement has delivered $7 million to former employees of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. involved in two class…

2018 to be a significant year for pension reform in Ontario

2018 to be a significant year for pension reform in Ontario

While 2017 was a relatively uneventful year in terms of legislative changes affecting pension plans, 2018 promises to be more significant, at least for many defined benefit…

  • January 23, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 08:30
Manitoba Liberals, union concerned with direction of province’s pension proposals

Manitoba Liberals, union concerned with direction of province’s pension proposals

Manitoba’s Liberal Party is concerned about a number of pension plan design changes put forth by the province’s Conservative government in a public review earlier this…

Take advantage of current plan health by de-risking now, sponsors urged

Take advantage of current plan health by de-risking now, sponsors urged

Whether plan sponsors expect a bear or a bull market in 2018, if they’re in a position to de-risk their pension plan, they should do…

Pension plans navigating a world of ‘stable instability’

Pension plans navigating a world of ‘stable instability’

With several reasons for both optimism and pessimism about the economy this year, the world appears to be in a state of “stable instability,” an…

  • By: Glenn Kauth
  • January 18, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 10:27
Annuities, funding policies among Quebec pension changes

Annuities, funding policies among Quebec pension changes

Plan sponsors and administrators finally have guidance on Quebec’s supplemental pension plan legislation, two years after initial amendments on Jan. 1, 2016. The regulations, which came into…

Actuaries weigh in on solvency funding, target-benefit plans in N.S. pension consultation

Actuaries weigh in on solvency funding, target-benefit plans in N.S. pension consultation

The Canadian Institute of Actuaries has responded to Nova Scotia’s consultation on a new defined benefit pension funding framework, including how a target-benefit funding model could…

  • By: Staff
  • January 11, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 16:15
Manitoba pension consultations to consider target-benefit, shared-risk plans

Manitoba pension consultations to consider target-benefit, shared-risk plans

The Pension Commission of Manitoba has raised the possibility of allowing for shared-risk plans as the province announces consultations on pension reforms ahead of planned…

  • By: Staff
  • January 11, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 10:32
Plan sponsors to consider new mortality improvement scale

Plan sponsors to consider new mortality improvement scale

The Canadian Institute of Actuaries has published a new mortality improvement scale as part of an effort to better reflect Canadians’ increased longevity and harmonize actuarial work in…

Automatic OAS enrolment to include GIS benefits

Automatic OAS enrolment to include GIS benefits

The government is introducing automatic enrolment for the guaranteed income supplement benefit beginning this month. The automatic enrolment means that, each month, up to 17,000…

  • By: Staff
  • January 9, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 16:05
Financial disparity unresolved under new lifelong pensions, say veterans associations

Financial disparity unresolved under new lifelong pensions, say veterans associations

Organizations representing Canada’s veterans say the government’s announcement of the long-awaited lifelong disability pensions has failed to live up to the Liberal’s election promise. Veterans…

  • By: Staff
  • January 5, 2018 September 13, 2019
  • 16:45
2018 to be a busy year for pension reforms

2018 to be a busy year for pension reforms

If there’s one thing that’s clear about pension reform in 2018, it’s that sponsors will have their hands full, particularly in Ontario. “There’s no question…

Four pension and retirement trends to watch in 2018

Four pension and retirement trends to watch in 2018

As 2017 draws to a close, we turn our attention to the new year. As usual, there’s a lot happening in the Canadian pension environment. Below are…

  • December 29, 2017 January 31, 2021
  • 07:30
Top 10 pension and retirement stories of 2017

Top 10 pension and retirement stories of 2017

Bankruptcy and its impact on company’s pension plans was a big story in 2017, with Sears Canada Inc. and Stelco Inc. grabbing the most headlines of the…

  • By: Staff
  • December 27, 2017 September 13, 2019
  • 08:00
Should Canadians be able to dip into RRSPs to help kids buy real estate?

Should Canadians be able to dip into RRSPs to help kids buy real estate?

Should Canadians be able to dip into their registered retirement savings plans to help their children buy their first house? The Canadian Real Estate Association certainly…

Editorial: Protecting DB pensions: Something has to change

Editorial: Protecting DB pensions: Something has to change

With the pension woes at Sears Canada Inc. in the spotlight, the political parties have been busy touting their solutions to the defined benefit conundrum.…

  • By: Glenn Kauth
  • December 19, 2017 September 13, 2019
  • 09:00
Ontario releases more details on funding cushion in new DB framework

Ontario releases more details on funding cushion in new DB framework

Ontario has published a description of its new funding framework for defined benefit pension plans, including details on how the provision for adverse deviations will…

OECD countries lack adequate frameworks for flexible retirement

OECD countries lack adequate frameworks for flexible retirement

While there’s a growing desire for more flexible retirement options to address changing societal needs, most Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries lack adequate frameworks for…

Ministers agree to additional CPP features to support parents, people with disabilities

Ministers agree to additional CPP features to support parents, people with disabilities

At a meeting in Ottawa on Monday, Canada’s finance ministers agreed in principle to a number of additional features in the Canada Pension Plan enhancement that…

  • By: Staff
  • December 12, 2017 September 13, 2019
  • 16:45
From AMPs to SIPPs: Why plan sponsors have a lot on the regulatory plate in 2018

From AMPs to SIPPs: Why plan sponsors have a lot on the regulatory plate in 2018

Administrative monetary penalties and statements of investment policies and procedures will be key concerns for Ontario pension plan sponsors as the provincial government moves forward…

  • By: Glenn Kauth
  • December 12, 2017 September 13, 2019
  • 08:35
Desjardins to go carbon neutral as part of plan to tackle climate change

Desjardins to go carbon neutral as part of plan to tackle climate change

The Desjardins Group is going carbon neutral as part of several actions the company plans to address climate change. In a release, the company pointed to…

  • By: Staff
  • December 7, 2017 September 13, 2019
  • 10:04
B.C. appeal court dismisses injured veterans’ pension claims

B.C. appeal court dismisses injured veterans’ pension claims

The British Columbia Court of Appeal has dismissed injured veterans’ pension claims against the federal government because they had “no chance of success.” “It’s difficult…

Canada not preparing for ‘greying of society’ given retirement age reversal: study

Canada not preparing for ‘greying of society’ given retirement age reversal: study

Compared to other high-income countries, Canada is doing very little to prepare for the “greying of society,” according to a new study by public policy think-tank…

  • By: Staff
  • November 24, 2017 September 13, 2019
  • 10:15
Governance, innovation touted as keys to Canadian pension funds’ success

Governance, innovation touted as keys to Canadian pension funds’ success

Independent governance has been one of the key factors in the success of Canadian public pension plans, according to a new report commissioned by the World…

  • By: Moira Potter
  • November 22, 2017 September 13, 2019
  • 20:20