While U.S. auto workers would like to see their pension plans converted from defined contribution to defined benefit, it may be more challenging than it was for their Canadian colleagues. The recent contract agreements for Unifor members at Ford of Canada and General Motors will see DC plan members move into the Colleges of Applied […]
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 […]
The Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario’s proposed guidance on pension plan administrator roles and responsibilities requires more clarity and consistency, according to the Association of Canadian Pension Management. In an open letter, the ACPM recommended greater clarity regarding the distinction between statutory guidance and general commentary, particularly in the sections on records retention and […]
General Motors and the union representing Canadian auto workers reached a tentative contract agreement Tuesday, ending a strike that began just after midnight. About 4,300 striking workers at two GM factories and a parts warehouse returned to work Tuesday afternoon and will vote on the three-year deal later. The tentative agreement with GM follows the pattern […]
As Canadians struggle to save amid the rising cost of living, employers play a crucial role in facilitating savings options for their employees, says Doug Crowe, vice-president of RBC Group Advantage, the Royal Bank of Canada’s group retirement division. “The first important step employers can make is deciding to sponsor a group savings plan for employees, which […]
Only 17 per cent of U.S. employees aged 50-plus and 23 per cent of retirees are very confident they’ll be able to maintain a comfortable lifestyle throughout retirement, according to a new survey by the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies in collaboration with the Transamerica Institute. The survey, which polled more than 10,000 U.S. employees, […]
An article on the new agreement between Ford of Canada and Unifor was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Ford, Unifor agreement includes significant DC pension improvements, transition to DB plan 2. Alberta deserves more than half CPP assets if it exits program: report […]
Canada’s life and health insurers paid out a record $114 billion in health and retirement benefits last year, up $11 billion since before the coronavirus pandemic and up 60 per cent from a decade ago, according to the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association’s annual fact book. “During a year when many households faced higher […]
More than 5,600 Ford of Canada workers have voted in favour of ratifying a three-year collective agreement that includes improvements to the defined contribution and defined benefit pension plans. The agreement “fundamentally transforms pension plans,” said Lana Payne, Unifor national president, in a press release. Under the agreement, the DB plan’s basic monthly benefit rate […]
The Nova Scotia Labour Board has ordered St. Mary’s University to resume making pension contributions for employees on long-term disability leave, reasoning that the pension committee had no authority to make changes to contribution levels mandated by the plan. “The board found that amendments to the pension plan proposed by the pension committee — the […]