An article on legal challenges filed against the federal government’s hybrid work mandate for public service employees was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com this week. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investment stories of the past week: 1. Unions representing federal public service workers file legal challenges against hybrid work mandate 2. Expert […]
One of the many consequences of the coronavirus pandemic was an unprecedented interest in the life expectancy of Canadians. While the increased focus on life expectancy seemed to wane once the worst of the pandemic had passed, a recent report by the Canadian Institute of Actuaries on mortality improvements has brought the topic of life […]
An article on the federal government’s plan to scrap Canada mortgage bonds and the potential impact on pension funds was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Feds’ plan to discontinue Canada mortgage bonds may limit pension funds’ abilities to mitigate risk: PIAC […]
Approaches to climate scenario analysis are currently based on “implausible” assumptions that could delay action and create fiduciary duty challenges for investors, according to a new study by the Institute & Faculty of Actuaries. Sandy Trust, head of organizational risk at M&G, a global investment manager headquartered in London, England and one of the authors […]
The office of the chief actuary is seeking an external peer review panel for its next actuarial report on the Canada Pension Plan. The external peer review is intended to ensure the report — to be released in December 2022 — meets high professional standards and is based on reasonable methods and assumptions, according to […]
Changes to the calculation of commuted pension values in Canada are making it more challenging for defined benefit pension plan members to determine an optimal day to quit their job and receive the maximum payout, says one actuary. Peter Gorham, an actuary at JDM Actuarial Expert Services Inc., says while he used to point plan […]
The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario is clarifying its guidance on the administration of pension benefits upon marriage breakdown. The final guidance, which came into effect on Nov. 9, 2021, clarifies the FSRA’s position on issues relating to valuation, payment and division and survivor benefits. It stated pension assets are to be valued based on […]
The Pension Investment Association of Canada is commenting on a consultation from the Canadian Institute of Actuaries’ actuarial standards board, providing feedback on benefit security, stress testing and windup valuations. In a letter, the PIAC said the meaning and mandated disclosures of benefit security are public policy issues for lawmakers and regulators. “While the views of the [actuarial standards […]
Morneau Shepell Ltd. is appointing Gavin Benjamin as partner in its retirement solutions business. With more than 30 years of experience in the pension industry, he was most recently senior director of retirement and actuary at Willis Towers Watson. As a consulting actuary, he advises plan sponsors on all aspects of pension plan management, including design, […]
Guardian Capital is forming a collaboration with Moshe Milevsky, a professor of finance at York University’s Schulich School of Business, that focuses on retirement finance. As an academic, Milevsky is currently working on research on the intersections of financial engineering, actuarial science, insurance contingent claims and wealth management, according to a press release. “There is an acute need for innovation […]