The idea of taxing employee discounts appears to be on hold for now, but the government may reintroduce it at a later date. If it does,…
The overall solvency position improved slightly for federally registered pension plans in 2016 compared to 2015, but the majority of funds remained slightly underfunded on…
Sears Canada Inc.’s announcement on Tuesday that it will seek a liquidation order from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice appears to vindicate the earlier…
The Netherlands has long had a reputation for having a strong two-pillar retirement system that provides retirees with an income replacement rate of at least…
Nova Scotia’s auditor general is sounding the alarm about the financial status of the province’s teachers’ pension plan, calling for action to address its “serious…
For those who aren’t accountants, it’s likely quite difficult to determine who’s right in the ongoing debate between the Ontario government and the province’s auditor…
The Global Risk Institute in Financial Services is creating a national pension hub that will be a Canadian centre for pension knowledge and research. It…
The Financial Services Commission of Ontario has released guidance for plan administrators on dealing with missing pension plan members. The policy, which took effect on…
Rules around funding and asset allocation for multijurisdictional pension plans should adhere to those set out by the majority regulator, according to stakeholder submissions to…
The Canadian Institute of Actuaries is consulting with its members on the development of a public statement for policy-makers about what’s next for Canada’s retirement…
Nortel Networks Corp., Stelco Inc., Sears Canada Inc. These are just a few of the many bankruptcy or restructuring cases that have catapulted the financial…
The Department of Finance’s draft tax legislative proposals, published on Sept. 8, include amendments to improve the clarity and effectiveness of the goods and services…
A Quebec Superior Court decision refusing to give priority to pension contribution deficiencies in the context of a mining company’s restructuring has ramped up the…
The federal New Democratic Party is proposing changes to federal bankruptcy laws to protect employees and retirees when their employer files for bankruptcy. Its End…
For plans sponsors that haven’t comprehensively reviewed their statements of investment policies and procedures in a while, it may be time to refresh the document to…
As the defined contribution pension industry continues to mature, employers are considering ways to improve them by introducing elements of defined benefit plans, an industry…
Nova Scotia is following in the footsteps of a number of other provinces by looking into its funding framework for defined benefit pension plans. Like…
Mercer is introducing outsourced governance for employers with defined contribution pension plans. The offering, Mercer Future Wise, will delegate employers’ plan governance to a team…
Eckler Ltd. has named researcher Bonnie-Jeanne MacDonald as its new resident scholar. MacDonald, an actuary and researcher at Dalhousie University, drew attention in 2014 when…
Pension plan administrators should get used to dealing with requests for their actuarial documents while lawyers duke it out over just how confidential they are,…
Despite British Columbia’s introduction of provisions for target-benefit pension plans in 2015, a report from the province’s regulator suggests the option has seen a slow uptake. Only…
Legislation requires a defined benefit pension plan to provide members leaving active service with the option of transferring out the lump-sum commuted value of their…
Plan administrators are eyeing the Bank of Canada’s current system that holds unclaimed bank balances for individuals as a possible solution to dealing with missing…
New draft regulations published in Quebec this summer address policies around annuity purchases for defined benefit pension plans for the first time. Industry stakeholders have…
Employees’ retirement plans are affected by how long they stay in the workforce. Whether or not they work past 65 often depends on government policy,…