A portable health benefits plan is a feasible, affordable and sustainable way to improve access to essential supplemental health and dental benefits for millions of Ontarians, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. It found the portable benefits plan would likely cost between $3.2 billion and $4.5 billion — excluding administration costs, […]
OVERVIEW AGENDA SPEAKERS ACTIVITIES LOCATION POST EVENT COVERAGE Speaker Derek Dobson, chief executive officer and plan manager, CAAT Pension Plan Derek Dobson is a seasoned pension leader with more than 30 years of experience in the industry. Currently the chief executive officer of one of Canada’s most sustainable pension plans, he also serves as co-chair […]
For some Canadians, the term pension may still conjure images of a secure stash of money guaranteed to ensure a comfortable lifestyle in retirement. I should know — until joining Benefits Canada in 2020, I counted myself among this group. Defined benefit pension plans — the epitome of the image described above — still exist, but […]
A new report from the C.D. Howe Institute says pension plan fiduciaries shouldn’t ignore climate change and other environmental, social, and governance factors that are relevant to financial purposes. However, when plan fiduciaries use ESG factors to prioritize social or environmental concerns, such as those expressed by plan members, they put themselves on shaky legal […]
Capital accumulation plan sponsors need to focus on providing lifetime retirement income for plan members amid the growth of decumulation solutions such as advanced life deferred annuities and variable payment lifetime annuities, according to a new report by the C.D. Howe Institute. It noted DC plan members currently have three main options to draw down […]
Canada’s employment insurance system requires modernization to weather negative economic shocks, according to a new report by the C.D. Howe Institute. The report, which analyzed unemployment rates across Canada over 13 years, found 85 per cent of the variation in rates reflects provincial differences, including layoffs occurring in regions characterized by persistent high unemployment rates […]
OVERVIEW AGENDA SPEAKERS LOCATION POST EVENT COVERAGE Speaker Kathy Bush, partner, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP Kathy Bush has more than 30 years of experience in the area of pension, benefits and executive compensation. She regularly assists businesses structure their pension, benefits and executive compensation arrangements and their related investments. She also has substantial litigation […]
While Canadians nearing retirement age have seen a doubling in the median value of both their assets and net worth since 1999, the prospect of a comfortable retirement remains out of reach for many employees, according to a new report by the C.D. Howe Institute. It found a quarter of Canadians aged 45 to 64 […]
Target-benefit plans are being hampered by a disconnect between how they’re regulated and how they’re managed, according to a new report for the C.D. Howe Institute. In the report, Barry Gros, a retired actuary and chair of the pension board at the University of British Columbia’s staff pension plan, reviewed how target-benefit plans are managed, how […]
Investors breathed a sigh of relief as they turned over their calendars at the end of 2020. Few were sorry to see the back of a turbulent year that drove nation after nation to their worst economic contractions in generations: over the course of 2020, the U.S. gross domestic product shrank around 3.5 per cent, […]