It is becoming abundantly clear that there are two different tiers of taxation applied to registered pension plans (RPPs). “Trusteed pension plans are facing significant…
On the afternoon of the last Friday in August, the federal Department of Finance quietly released 221 dense pages of draft income tax legislation. Because…
Pension reform in Canada took an important step forward in June. The outcome of the finance ministers’ meeting in Charlottetown that month is a clear…
U.S. organizations have proven more adept than those in other nations in realizing profit from their staff in the volatile post-crisis economic environment, according to…
What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.” Paul Newman in the film Cool Hand Luke didn’t enjoy hearing this, and plan sponsors don’t enjoy…
Our industry is ripe for change. Take what’s been happening with drug reform. Alberta kicked off the action in April by introducing the Alberta Pharmaceutical…
Morneau Sobeco’s latest News and Views bulletin explains the possible effects of proposed changes to Excise Tax Act. The firm says the draft legislation will…
The GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) used for U.S. corporate pension earnings is not only detrimental to a plan’s long-term risk management efforts but also…
Despite fears of a double dip recession and wobbly sovereign debt, the global economy is slowly improving. Global employee engagement, however, is not. A report…
After the introduction of the Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) on July 1st in Ontario and British Columbia, both investment management fees (IMFs) and monthly per…
With reforms in the pension industry and prescription drug and pharmacy regulations making headlines this spring, the timing couldn’t have been more perfect for the…
It has been more than 20 years since the last significant rewrite of pension legislation in Canada. Now, following a transparent process involving expert commissions,…
The Actuarial Standards Board approved broad and significant revisions to the Standards of Practice covering the valuation of pension plans on June 3, 2010, and…
The original version of this article contained incomplete information that may have caused confusion for some readers. The article has been updated and Benefits Canada…
Private member bills rarely become law. However Ontario Bill 54, An Act respecting retirement savings plans for employees and for self employed persons, 2010 has…
Birdie, birdie in the sky, Drop some HST into my eye, Me oh me, me oh my, Boy I’m glad that cows don’t fly! Many…
Canadian federal and provincial finance ministers met in Charlottetown in June 2010 and moved a few steps closer to reaching agreement on the expansion…
Last week the federal government unveiled three amendments to regulations covering federally regulated private pension plans aimed at providing increased protection for plan members and…
Since Jan. 1, 2008, the Income Tax Act (ITA) has allowed the payment of a pension to a plan member who continues to accrue pension…
Since I stepped into the editor’s role at Benefits Canada in April, I have been immersed in many compelling discussions, ranging from pension reform to…
A year ago, pension plan sponsors were reporting significant losses. In fact, total pension assets for Benefits Canada’s 2009 Top 100 Pension Funds report fell…
Update from Quebec: changing the rules June 16, 2010 | Luc Villiard Much has changed for defined benefit (DB) plan sponsors in Quebec over the…
After what seemed like an eternity of consultations, town hall meetings and white papers, Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan…
Over the past couple of years, the world’s stock markets have experienced a steep decline followed by a dramatic recovery. Although the Canadian stock market…
There has been a flurry of activity in the pension regulatory world over the past several months. This article will set out some of the…