The union representing 3,700 public sector employees in Newfoundland and Labrador are rejecting a proposed collective agreement from the provincial government, saying it includes unacceptable pension concessions. While the deal would provide workers with a wage increase of two per cent annually for two years, the Canadian Union of Public Employees Newfoundland and Labrador — […]
A potential Alberta Pension Plan would expose Albertans to material underwriting risks and the potential for political involvement in decisions about the plan’s investment policy, according to a new report. The report — authored by Keith Ambachtscheer, founder of KPA Advisory Services Ltd. and adjunct professor at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management — also estimated […]
Legislative changes and plan design were among the leading topics in the pension and retirement industry in 2019, with the top three most read stories tackling those topics. Benefits Canada rounds up the industry’s favourite pension stories of the year: 1. Budget 2019: Proposed changes to pension legislation, annuities, CPP 2. DB pensions best option for Canadian employers, economy: report 3. Alberta budget includes […]
This month’s Head to head considers the merits of both defined benefit and defined contribution plans as the country’s pension landscape becomes an increasingly diverse patchwork. Jerry Dias, president of Unifor National: Let’s cut to the chase. Absent a voice for workers through a union and collective bargaining, there really wouldn’t be much debate around defined […]
Two-thirds (65 per cent) of Canadian millennials said they worry if they buy a home and delay their savings, they won’t have enough for retirement, according to a new survey by KPMG. However, among millennial survey respondents who do own a home, 42 per cent said they’re putting their retirement savings on hold to pay […]
While the case for creating an Alberta Pension Plan looks straightforward on the surface, it’s far from a slam dunk, according to a memo published by the C.D. Howe Institute. In the memo responding to Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s plan to consult on whether the province should withdraw from the Canada Pension Plan and start […]
I think it’s fair to say that retirement security is top of mind for the majority of Canadians. And politicians are listening: it was constructive to see all the major parties coming up with measures to deal with the issue during the most recent election campaign. In my last editorial, I summarized the various election […]
In the coming decade, the median retirement age could increase from 65 to 68, though the exact timing and extent of this rise can’t be predicted with complete confidence. However, Canadians are staying in the workforce longer, so if Canada continues to pay pension benefits at age 65, it’s certain that a significant and growing […]
As employer-sponsored pension plans and personal retirement savings continue to shrink, the third pillar of Canada’s retirement income troika, the publicly funded Canada Pension Plan, is seeing improvements. Some of the enhancements, which are being gradually phased in from Jan. 1, 2019, borrow from what Australia already has in place for its superannuation system. In […]
The former chief executive officer of the organization that would administer a separate Alberta pension plan says the proposed switch from the Canada Pension Plan doesn’t make much sense from an efficiency point of view. Leo de Bever, who retired from the Alberta Investment Management Corp. in 2015, says the threatened move by the Alberta government […]