Four in five (80 per cent) Canadian employers believe they have the appropriate programs and practices in place to support employees’ mental, physical, emotional and financial well-being as they return to the workplace and settle into a new normal, according to a new survey by Mercer Canada. The survey, which examined Canadian organizations’ preparedness for returning to […]
Several prominent players in Canada’s pensions and benefits industries have signed onto the BlackNorth Initiative, pledging to take specific actions within their organizations to tackle anti-Black racism. “The persistent inequities across our country underscore our urgent, national need to address and alleviate racial, ethnic and other tensions and to promote the elimination of anti-Black systemic […]
With a rough 2020 year-to-date, value investing’s recent poor performance follows over a decade of underperformance, leaving many to ask if it’s still relevant, according to a new white paper by Mercer. Between 1927 and 2008, the average annual value premium was 5.5 per cent, but since then results have been lacklustre. In the 2010s, […]
In the second quarter of 2020, the funded positions of defined benefit plans recovered almost half of the losses incurred during the coronavirus crash of the first quarter, according to Mercer’s pension health index. The index, which represents the solvency ratio of a hypothetical DB pension plan, increased to 101 per cent at the end […]
Before physical distancing, pension plan sponsors typically held in-person meetings and site visits when allocating to new investment managers. “I like to look people in the eye when they’re telling me what they’re going to do,” says Blair Richards, chief executive officer of the Halifax Port ILA/HEA Pension Plan. “It’s very old school and it’s […]
Morneau Shepell Ltd. is appointing Glen Oikawa as a client relationship partner, retirement solutions partner and Calgary office leader. In the new role, he’ll focus on delivering innovation, thought leadership and dedicated service to several of the organization’s largest plan sponsor clients across Western Canada. With more than 20 years of experience in financial well-being, […]
Factor investing is a style of management that aims to harvest the common traits of a group or basket of securities that helps inform their risk and return potential. “When we talk about factors, we’re really talking about common characteristics that securities, such as stocks or bonds, share,” says Mo Haghbin, chief operating officer of […]
Rolls Royce Canada Ltd.’s reward and pension manager talks benefits plan costs, Excel spreadsheets and playing soccer with his daughter. Q. What top challenges do you face in your role? A. Before the coronavirus crisis, a challenge I’d been dealing with was promoting awareness of the hidden value in group benefits plans, their escalating cost and who’s […]
On May 21, Benefits Canada hosted a webinar to explore the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on chronic disease in the workplace, as well as how virtual solutions can support employee health through this unprecedented time. All employers are currently facing the same concerns, said Marie-Josée Le Blanc, a partner at Mercer, during the webinar. Pointing to the 2019 […]
Mawer Asset Management Ltd. is appointing Crista Caughlin as lead manager of Canadian bond, global bond and Canadian money market strategies. Caughlin, who joined Mawer in May, will take over in July from the firm’s chief investment officer Paul Moroz, who’s been acting as interim co-manager of fixed income strategies. He’ll continue to act as […]