Other Brieflies this week:| MON | TUE | WED | THU | FRI | Credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has put the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec on CreditWatch negative, which could result in a downgrading of its previously stellar credit marks. While the Caisse currently enjoys a AAA rating—the highest […]
“High-pressure,” “demanding,” even “extreme”—these are terms that are used more and more to describe the jobs held by managers and professionals. Due to expectations that salaried employees should be available 24/7, should devote 60+ hours of face time at the office, and should be in constant touch with a laptop or BlackBerry, today’s professionals are […]
An Ottawa-based law firm has commenced a national class action lawsuit on behalf of Nortel employees across Canada regarding changes made to the telecom equipment company’s pension plan. The suit, filed by Nelligan O’Brien Payne, claims that Nortel failed to provide employees with reasonable notice of the changes. In June 2006, Nortel announced that it […]
Real estate, hedge funds and private equity: alternatives are certainly good investments to help diversify a portfolio, but they’re not without their challenges, say plan sponsors. The 8,000-member pension plan of the United Church of Canada moved into alternatives in the last three years. “But it’s ‘alternative light,’” said Dan Foster, the plan’s investment manager, […]
A glimpse into the future of Canada’s defined contribution pension plans. Over the years, Hollywood has put forward many versions of what the future might look like. One of the more memorable images is that of George Jetson scooting off to work at Spacely Space Sprockets in his nifty aerocar. Those old enough to remember […]
A road map to investing in volatile markets. Gut-wrenching periods of market volatility are hardly new. In the world of investment management, they come with the territory. For pension fiduciaries who are uncomfortable with the ebbs and flows of the market, understanding the basic principles of navigating risk is essential. In fact, knowing how these […]
Some of Canada’s most influential pension plans shared their views on the issues they’ll face this year at CPBI Ontario’s Pension Investment Forecast 2008 at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto today. Rodger F. Smith, managing director of Greenwich Associates, discussed a few key trends in the Canadian market. These trends are a reflection of […]
The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board(OTPP)has announced that a US$138 million cash settlement agreement has been reached in the securities fraud class action against Biovail and certain of its officers. The plan, with co-lead plaintiff Local 282 Welfare Trust Fund, led the prosecution of this litigation on behalf of a class of investors who purchased […]
The abolition of the foreign property rule opens up a whole universe to pension funds. Depositary receipts may be the most friendly way to access foreign markets. Until recently, most pension plans were invested primarily in Canadian stocks and bonds, since federal regulations prevented institutions and retail investors from putting more than 30% of their […]
There are unique challenges when it comes to pension plans in Canada and plan sponsors will face many more in the future, said participants at the sixth annual Canada Cup of Investment Management in Toronto earlier today. John Poos, Nortel Networks’ director of global pensions said the recent proposed changes in Canadian accounting rules—where pension […]