Over the last year, the number of large Canadian pension funds with commitments to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 rose from two funds to nine, representing $1.8 trillion — or 81 per cent — of total pension fund assets evaluated, according to a new report by Corporate Knights. The report also found four of the […]
The market value of assets held by Canadian trusteed pension funds rose 2.3 per cent in the third quarter of 2022, hovering around $2.1 trillion, according to a new report by Statistics Canada. Public sector plan assets rose 2.7 per cent to $1.7 trillion, while private sector assets increased by 0.6 per cent to $420.9 billion. The report also […]
Despite many institutional investors pressing pause on their real estate activities in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, those that keep calm and carry on with a focus on diversification and innovation are poised to emerge as winners. “Real estate values, like other investment vehicles, can vary at different times based on shifting demand […]
Ontario’s defined benefit pension funds returned an average 2.9 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2022 while plan liabilities continued to benefit from a rising interest rate environment, according to the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario’s latest solvency report. It also found the majority of plans remained fully funded on a solvency basis […]
A bill that would give super-priority to defined benefit pension plan members during plan windups and insolvencies is likely to be passed by the senate because the pension sector hasn’t provided viable alternatives, says Mike Powell, president of the Canadian Federation of Pensioners. On Feb. 8, 2023, Powell delivered a presentation in support of Bill […]
Despite the challenging economic environment, Canadian defined benefit pension plans saw a median return of 4.27 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to BNY Mellon’s Canadian master trust universe. The universe, which is based on $290.3 billion worth of assets under management across 84 corporate, public and university pension plans, found the one-year median […]
The median Canadian defined benefit pension plan returned 2.8 per cent during the last quarter of 2022 after facing losses of 12.8 per cent over the course of the year, according to a new report by Northern Trust Canada. The report draws from the Northern Trust Canada universe, which tracks the performance of Canadian DB plans. […]
The average Canadian defined benefit pension plan lost ground on a solvency and accountancy basis in December, according to LifeWorks Inc.’s latest monthly report. At the end of 2022, the solvency index reached 103.8 per cent, down 3.1 per cent from the end of November. The balance sheet index also fell 2.4 per cent — […]
The aggregate funded ratio for Canadian defined benefit pension plans increased from 96.9 per cent to 100.8 per cent during 2022, according to Aon’s latest pension risk tracker. The tracker, which calculates the aggregate funded position on an accounting basis for companies in the S&P/TSX composite index with DB plans, also found pension assets lost […]
If there was one message for defined benefit pension plan sponsor delegates at the 2022 Defined Benefit Investment Forum, it was that the fate of global markets in 2023 is on a knife’s edge. In the keynote address, Douglas Porter, chief economist and managing director at BMO Financial Group, said he expects the Canadian economy […]