Accompass Inc. has appointed Anne Peiris as a vice-president in its compensation practice. With more than 15 years of experience in the industry, Peiris has held senior leadership roles at banks, insurance companies and human resources consulting firms, most recently with Mercer. “We really value Anne’s pragmatic approach to building compensation solutions,” said Sarah Beech, president of […]
As concerns over retirement income adequacy mount, the role of plan members in making decisions about their pension investments is a growing concern. Some plan members want some level of control over their pension investments, while others would like to hand decision-making to someone else. But what do they mean and why do they feel […]
Canada’s retirement system maintained its score of a B on the 2016 Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index, indicating a sound structure, many good features and some areas of improvement. To improve, Canada could develop a product for employees without a workplace pension plan, increase savings levels for middle-income earners and increase the retirement age, according to […]
Canadian insurers anticipate a six per cent increase in medical spending before the end of 2016 after experiencing a 6.3 per cent increase last year, according to a new study by Mercer. The figures account for changes in utilization patterns, government regulation and medical inflation, though the insurers estimated general inflation was 1.1 per cent […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec has appointed Patrick De Roy senior vice-president, research, depositors and global portfolio. Read: Mercer appoints health and benefits consultant De Roy comes most recently worked as partner and risk and investment practice leader at Eckler. He has also worked as an institutional portfolio manager of fixed income at Fidelity […]
Ryerson University carries an impressive vision-care package: non-unionized employees can spend up to $800 every two years on glasses, contact lenses and laser eye surgery and receive an eye exam every two years. When the university’s union groups negotiated higher coverage for vision care, it only made sense for the non-unionized groups to follow suit, […]
For such a small number, the discount rate used by a pension plan can have a very significant impact on its funded status. Actuaries use the rate to determine the present value of the plan’s future liabilities in order to check whether the fund has enough assets to meet its obligations as they arise. The […]
The median solvency ratio of Canadian pension plans rose in the third quarter of 2016, according to the Mercer Pension Health Index, but the quarterly pension plan solvency survey from Aon Hewitt shows a decline in the same period. The median solvency ratio of Mercer pension plans clients reached 85 per cent on Sept. 28, […]
Canadian employers are being cautious about budgeting for salary increases in the coming year, according to a new survey by Mercer. It predicts average raises will be just 2.6 per cent across all employee groups. When taking anticipated salary freezes into account, the survey expects overall salary increases in 2017 will be even lower at 2.3 per cent. […]
“It would take me the entire hour to get rid of all the trigger points along your spine,” the massage therapist tells me during a recent visit to a Toronto clinic. I mumble surprise into the face pillow and agree she should focus on the knots in my shoulders. As she kneads, she casually suggests […]