Ambachtsheer and Waitzer: It’s up to the provinces.
Only days before federal and provincial finance ministers converge in Kananaskis, Alta., Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has released a draft framework for pooled registered pension plans (PRPPs). The draft claims that “moving forward with PRPPs will provide Canadians with a new low-cost accessible vehicle to meet their retirement objectives. This will be particularly beneficial to […]
Variable payment life annuities and the impact of gender identity on actuarial standards are among the issues the Canadian Institute of Actuaries is monitoring in 2025, says Simon Nelson, a principal at Eckler Ltd. and chair of the CIA’s pension practice committee. A CIA task force on VPLAs will present its findings early this year, […]
With the start of a new year, there are several developments and trends that will likely impact Canadian pension plan sponsors in 2025. Implementation of regulatory guidelines In September 2024, the Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities published a new guideline for risk management for plan administrators and an update to their guideline for capital […]
Businesses that are planning to establish themselves in Quebec by way of expansion or acquisition should be aware of some unique aspects of the province’s pension and benefits laws. Employers are required to make a voluntary retirement savings plan available to their employees. In addition, provincial legislation prohibits ‘orphan’ or ‘grandfathering’ clauses that distinguish pension […]
Whether it’s in the magazine, on the website or at our various defined contribution pension plan events, Benefits Canada is regularly writing about how DC plans are evolving. The pension industry has come a very long way in the last few decades. When my parents began their working lives in the early 1970s, they both had defined […]
Increased volatility, stubborn inflation and erratic interest rates are making for financially uncertain times, where it can be more reassuring to seek safety in shared risk, rather than shouldering financial ambiguity alone. Celebrated for their pooled assets and shared risk, multi-employer pension plans are gaining traction. Tami Dove, director of member experience at the Co-operative […]
An amendment to Manitoba’s Beneficiary Designation Act allows a pension plan member’s legal representative to now make a beneficiary designation on behalf of the member if they can’t make the designation themselves. However, the representative can only designate a beneficiary if the plan renews, replaces or converts a plan made by the participant and the same […]
Defined benefit. Defined contribution. Target benefit. Shared risk. Collective. Multi-employer. Pooled. Canada’s pension and retirement landscape is littered with lingo that can often be confusing for the people who participate in these plans and count on them for their retirement income. As pension plans evolve and the terms describing them expand, does the industry have […]
In its 2023 budget on Tuesday, the federal government proposed roughly $13 billion over the next five years and $4.4 billion ongoing to fully implement the national dental-care program. The plan — to be administered by Health Canada, with support from a third-party benefits administrator — will provide dental coverage for uninsured Canadians with annual […]